FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show Emmanuel Macron As A Child Dancing With His Now-Wife?
A video shared on Twitter purportedly shows Brigitte Macron dancing with French President Emmanuel Macron when he was a child.
The boy in the clip is Emmanuel Macron. The Dancing lady is his tutor. He is now the President of France. She is now his wife, Brigitte
The age difference is about 24 years.Vive la différence!! pic.twitter.com/jOSxsjWGwT
— Perorationer🕵️♀️Get your Jab💉- Wear a Mask😷 (@Perorationer) October 22, 2021
Verdict: False
The video actually shows performers on “So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation” in 2016.
Fact Check:
Emmanuel Macron has known his now-wife, Brigitte, since 1993, when he was 15 years old, according to ABC News. She was 39 years old and working as his drama teacher at the time, the outlet reported. They got married in 2007, according to the Élysée Palace.
In the footage being shared online, a woman and child can be seen performing a dance routine on a stage. The tweet’s caption claims, “The boy in the clip is Emmanuel Macron. The Dancing lady is his tutor. He is now the President of France. She is now his wife, Brigitte.” (RELATED: Does This Image Show A 2021 Protest Against France’s COVID-19 Measures?)
But, contrary to this claim, the Macrons do not appear in the video. A longer version was posted on YouTube in 2016, with the title identifying the two dancers as Jenna Johnson and Jake Monreal performing during an episode of “So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation.” A photo available on Getty Images also identifies the dancers as Johnson and Monreal, noting the performance aired on July 11, 2016.
“The Next Generation” was, according to IMDb, the 13th season of “So You Think You Can Dance” and aired when Johnson was in her early 20s. Johnson married her husband, fellow professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy, in 2019, People reported.