Brigitte Macron Slapped Husband After the French President 'Received Text From Iranian Actress,' Author Claims
Brigitte Macron allegedly slapped her husband on camera after he exchanged text messaged with actress Golshifteh Farahani.
May 13 2026, Published 5:09 p.m. ET
A bombshell new book claims the French First Lady's globally-seen slap across her husband's face last year was punishment for his alleged affair with Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Brigitte Macron smacked hubby Emmanuel right in front of cameras, moments after the couple touched down in Vietnam for a presidential visit.
Just Kidding!
The slap went viral last year.
Video of the slap heard around the world showed Brigitte pushing her husband away with both hands on his face before they disembarked from their plane.
Emmanuel later told reporters that the couple were simply joking around. "We are squabbling and, rather, joking with my wife," he said, adding that the incident was being overblown.
But according to journalist Florian Tardif's new book, Un Couple (Presque) Parfait , which means An (Almost) Perfect Couple, Brigitte, 73, whacked Emmanuel, 48, after she saw text messages between the politician and Farahani, 43.
The book explained the texts made the former schoolteacher afraid Emmanuel might leave her for the Body of Lies star.
"Brigitte saw herself being erased," the book noted.
'Flirty' Relationship, or More?
Farahani and Emmanuel allegedly exchanged 'flirty' messages.
However, the couple is standing by their side of the story. According to French newspaper Le Parisien, sources close to Brigitte Macron rejected the rumors and dismissed any suggestion that Farahani played a role in tensions within their relationship.
The insider added that Brigitte never even looked into her husband's phone history.
Tardif later told RTL radio the messages Emmanuel reportedly sent to Farahani were flirty, if not sexual in nature.
"The president of the republic maintained a platonic relationship with the actress for several months," Tardif said. "That is what I was told, that is what I was told again and again."
"[The messages] went quite far… such as 'I find you very pretty,'" he continued, insisting, "everything in the book is facts, facts and only facts."
Brigitte Stands Firm
Brigitte continues to downplay the attack.
Farahani also strongly denied rumors of a romantic relationship with the French lawmaker.
As for Brigitte, speaking with the book author, she explained she was "very tired" after the hard flight, adding: "There was a lot of turbulence during the flight, which stopped me sleeping. Right then, I didn’t want to get out [of the aircraft].
"He tried to make me laugh. He gave me some water and I pushed him away."
According to the French magazine Voici, Emmanuel was having fun with his bodyguards on the jet and jokingly threatened to pour water on them.
Brigitte playfully scolded her husband, "You’d better not get me wet. I’ve just got dressed."
'Giving Ammunition to the Conspiracy Theorists'
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Emmanuel agreed and urged everyone to 'calm down.'
The French leader argued that the video and reaction offered a "cautionary tale" about disinformation in social media.
"Everyone needs to calm down," he said shortly after the uproar.
His office also downplayed the interaction.
"It was a moment where the president and his wife were decompressing one last time before the start of the trip by horsing around," a spokesperson said at the time. "It’s a moment of complicity. It was all that was needed to give ammunition to the conspiracy theorists."
