Name: The Clooneys new French citizenship sparks controversy
Uploaded: 2026-01-02T14:27:27.674Z
Duration: 1 min 52 s
Description: American actor George Clooney and his wife Amal, a British-Lebanese human rights lawyer are now French citizens, along with their children. The couple and their two sons have been granted French nationality by decree. While French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez welcomes the move, his deputy has spoken of “double standards.”

American actor George Clooney and his wife Amal, a British-Lebanese human rights lawyer are now French citizens, along with their children. The couple and their two sons have been granted French nationality by decree. While French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez welcomes the move, his deputy has spoken of “double standards.”

Paris

George Clooney, his wife Amal, and their two children were recently naturalized as French citizens, following a proposal by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Clooneys, who purchased an estate in southern France in 2021, were praised by officials for their cultural and intellectual contributions to the country.

Their naturalization comes as France has introduced stricter requirements for non-European foreigners seeking citizenship, including tougher language and civic tests. The Clooneys' apparent star treatment has led to mixed public reactions, with some criticizing the process as unfair compared to the challenges faced by undocumented immigrants.

The Clooneys' new French citizenship sparks controversy

They're beautiful, they're rich, they're famous, and now, they're French. George Clooney, his wife Amal, and their two children were naturalized last Saturday. The Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker alluded to his interest in French citizenship earlier this year. He said he admired the country's privacy laws, which prevent the paparazzi from photographing minors. George and Amal, an international human rights lawyer, purchased an estate near the southern village Prignolles in 2021. However, it was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs itself that proposed the naturalization. In Mr. Clooney, we have an actor and producer. Mrs. Clooney is an international lawyer. They live in France. They contribute greatly to the cultural and intellectual influence of our country. Since January 1st, France has tightened its requirements for naturalization and multi-year residence permits. Non-European foreigners now have to pass a new, harder civic test and prove a higher level of French. The Clooney family's apparent star treatment has drawn mixed reactions. It's a problem to me because I think there are two kinds of laws, one law for George Clooney and one law for people who are undocumented, who are in a very precarious situation and can't work. I think it's good that someone with another nationality can benefit from French nationality. I also think it's good for France because George Clooney is not just anyone. The actor himself admitted he hasn't yet mastered the French language. I love the French culture, your language, even if I'm still bad at it after 400 days of courses. Another American recently declared a candidate for French nationality is director Jim Jarmusch, who said he hopes to escape the U.S.

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Breakdown