(FRANCE) — The French government defended a decree naturalizing George Clooney, his wife Amal Clooney and their two sons as French citizens on December 27, 2025, after the decision drew criticism over perceived special treatment.
France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposed the naturalization, citing what it described as the family’s contributions to France’s cultural and intellectual influence.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez welcomed the move and offered a detailed justification.
“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,”
Nunez said.
The decision to have the Clooneys naturalized as French citizens came just days before January 1, 2026, when France tightened citizenship requirements for non-European foreigners.
Those changes included a harder civic test and higher French language proficiency standards, prompting questions about whether a high-profile family benefited from a more favorable path.
Nunez’s deputy, who was not named in reports, pointed to what was described as unequal application of rules in a blunt critique.
“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 very precarious situation and can’t work,”
the deputy said.
The government’s defense rested heavily on residency and perceived contributions, with officials emphasizing that the family lives in France.
Amal Clooney, described as a British-Lebanese human rights lawyer, purchased an estate near the southern village of Pinol in 2021, according to the account of the government’s justification.
George Clooney has also spoken publicly about why France appeals to him, citing privacy protections that limit paparazzi photography of minors.
He expressed admiration for France’s privacy laws and described the practical burden of learning the language while living in the country.
After 400 days of courses, Clooney said he is “still bad at it,” according to the report of his remarks.
The naturalization by decree, issued on December 27, 2025, was reported on January 2, 2026, and became a fresh point of debate as France entered 2026 under tightened citizenship rules.
Support for the decision was also evident in public reactions described as mixed, with some people welcoming the benefits they said France could gain from being home to internationally known figures.
Government officials framed the move as consistent with France’s interest in attracting residents who, in their view, add to the country’s cultural and intellectual standing.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ role in proposing the naturalization placed France’s diplomatic apparatus at the center of a decision that is often politically sensitive, especially when set against changes affecting non-European foreigners.
Nunez’s comments tied the government’s argument to the couple’s professional profiles and their presence in France, portraying the family as part of national life rather than visitors.
The criticism, however, focused on the broader system and on people described as “undocumented” and “in very precarious situation,” with the deputy suggesting that fame can reshape how law is felt on the ground.
That debate landed at a moment of heightened attention to the requirements facing applicants, with language and civic knowledge now positioned as sharper thresholds from January 1, 2026.
Set up alerts on official government portals for updates to citizenship requirements and steps. Pay special attention to the January 1, 2026 changes and how they may alter application prerequisites.
Clooney’s own remarks about studying French, including his reference to “400 days of courses,” drew attention because higher French language proficiency standards were part of the tightened rules.
The government’s supporters argued that prominent residents can be an asset, while critics presented the decree as a test of equal treatment under the law.
Nunez, asked to justify the decision, pointed to the couple’s professions and what he described as their contribution to France’s influence, while also stressing their residency.
“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,”
he said.
The deputy’s criticism, by contrast, framed the issue as a stark divide between celebrity and vulnerability in immigration outcomes.
“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 very precarious situation and can’t work,”
the deputy said.
As the new year began with stricter requirements for non-European foreigners, the decree naturalizing the Clooney family turned into a wider argument about who gets welcomed quickly, and on what terms, in a France reshaping the contours of citizenship.
France granted citizenship to the Clooney family on December 27, 2025, sparking a debate over preferential treatment. The naturalization occurred shortly before new, stricter immigration laws took effect in 2026. While the government emphasizes the couple’s professional prestige and residency in Pinol, critics argue the move highlights a divide between celebrity privilege and the difficult path faced by undocumented immigrants who lack similar legal shortcuts.
