Chelsea Clinton Called Out Alex Jones For Claiming He Has 'Proof' Michelle Obama Is Transgender

In a remarkable act of solidarity, Chelsea Clinton spoke out against Alex Jones—a highly controversial media figure—after he posted a video claiming Michelle Obama was not a woman. This incident came in August 2017 and showed that digital platforms were still allowing the most damaging conspiracy theories to thrive. InfoWars founder Jones posted an 11-minute podcast in which he made outlandish, unsubstantiated claims about the gender identity of the former first lady; during the airing, he used manipulated images and derogatory language to perpetuate his unfounded theory that Michelle was transgender. 

Jones went on to examine several photos, claiming her clothes showed supposed evidence she was previously male. He particularly pointed to the pleats in her pants and mentioned her shoulders, which he said were 'wide,' and her face, which he called 'very, very masculine.' Jones even invoked a 2014 comment by late comedian Joan Rivers, who had controversially joked about Michelle's gender. He insinuated that Rivers' sudden death months after the remark was somehow linked to her statement.

Clinton soon reacted to the inflammatory content in Twitter (now X) posts, albeit concise yet powerful in their reach and depth. "Michelle Obama is everything this site will never be—honorable, brave, beloved, beautiful," she wrote on the platform, directly challenging Jones' offensive assertion. She explained in another tweet that she didn’t amplify the conspiracy theory initially because she had linked the video in her first tweet, saying, "I didn't visit the site or watch the video. Think we need to shine a light on the awfulness/expose it - without giving the awfulness clicks," as per AOL.

Jones also attempted to appeal to public opinion when he stated that in Barack Obama's speeches, he had referred to his wife as 'Michael.' The commentator cited a military event that took place in Arlington, Virginia, during which Barack once briefly fumbled with the word 'Michelle.' Jones distorted a 2015 speech to make his case, where Barack was quoting a letter from a woman named Debra Lea Oren, who wrote, "I walk with my husband Michael and hold hands." Jones and his supporters falsely suggested this was Barack referring to Michelle as Michael, deliberately ignoring the actual context of the quote, as per USA Today.

That was all part of a broader pattern by Jones of pushing conspiracy theories; he was the same man who variously suggested the Sandy Hook school massacre had been staged and propagated misinformation on terror groups. Fact-checkers, such as PolitiFact and Reuters, have several times disputed baseless claims originating from him.

The 'Michelle is a man' conspiracy theory had been doing the rounds for ages via far-right groups, constructed on manipulated videos, misleading clips, and even groundless speculation about her looks. However, social media users rallied around Michelle, ridiculing Jones' claims and offering her support. More importantly, many called out the InfoWars founder for his use of purportedly spreading discriminatory narratives under the name of reporting.