Was Emmanuel Macron wearing an earpiece during the May 3rd debate?

Is that what sometimes made the debate between the two candidates on May 3rd impossible to listen to? Emmanuel Macron was wearing an earpiece. This is according to some websites known to be openly favorable to Marine Le Pen. The rumor was even shared by the the French parliamentarian Gilbert Collard (linked to the Front National) on his Twitter account. To support the argument, screenshots where one seems to be able to distinguish some elements of an image that could be that of a very discreet atrium were shared on social media. But, the images are so highly magnified and pixelated that they are near impossible to decipher.

However, in very clear photos taken during the same debate, no earpiece appears in the ear in question of the En Marche! candidate.

Both France 2 and TF1, the broadcasters that co-organized the debate, cut short this rumor. “France Televisions denies this story”, the public broadcaster told AFP, a partner of CrossCheck. “There were no headsets for the candidates during this debate, in conjunction with the production control room”, confirmed TF1’s director of communications.