Brigitte Macron’s alleged “slap” of French President Emmanuel Macron has resurfaced after a journalist claimed it was linked to messages that involved Iranian-born actress Golshifteh Farahani.
Paris Match political correspondent Florian Tardif made the claim on RTL while promoting his book An (Almost) Perfect Couple. He suggested the incident followed a jealous argument after Brigitte reportedly saw messages exchanged between Emmanuel and Farahani.
Who Is Golshifteh Farahani?
Golshifteh Farahani is an Iranian-born actress now based in France. She has appeared in international films including Body of Lies with Leonardo DiCaprio, Paterson and The Invasion series. She left Iran in 2008 after facing restrictions and has since spoken publicly about women’s rights and political repression in the country.
The Elysee Palace strongly rejected the allegation made by Tardif.
“Brigitte Macron categorically denied this account directly to the author on March 5, specifying that she never looks at her husband’s mobile phone,” Elysee said and added that the claim was not included in the book, The Telegraph reported.
The incident being referred to was filmed on May 25 last year in Vietnam. Footage showed the French president standing at the doorway of the aircraft when Brigitte’s hands briefly appeared pushing his face. At the time, the Elysee described it as a light exchange of “banter,” “decompression” and “complicity” before an official visit. Macron said the couple were simply “bickering, or rather joking”.
Tardif said the moment was not playful. He called it a “fairly significant argument.”
“What happened is that she saw a message from a well-known figure, an Iranian actress, Golshifteh Farahani. This private scene became public because there was a misunderstanding on the plane. We thought the argument was over. It wasn’t,” he added.
Emmanuel Macron giflé par Brigitte ? “C’est une scène de couple après un message d’une actrice iranienne, Golshifteh Farahani”@Florian_Tardif face à @FogielMarcO dans #RTLMatin : il publie “Un couple (presque) parfait” @AlbinMichel pic.twitter.com/Zp9b574Uqb
— RTL France (@RTLFrance) May 13, 2026
He also claimed Emmanuel had a “platonic” relationship with Farahani for a few months, saying messages included lines such as: “I find you very pretty.”
He added, “That is what I was told and repeated by those around them” and insisted the account was based on “facts.”
Farahani has previously dismissed speculation about any link with Emmanuel. She told Gala Magazine, “The question is why people are interested in this kind of story. There is a lack of love in some people and they need to create such romances to fill it.”
The footage resurfaced again in April when US President Donald Trump referenced the moment at a White House Easter event, saying Macron’s wife “treats him extremely badly” and joking he was “still recovering from the right to the jaw.” Emmanuel called the remarks “neither elegant nor up to standard.”
