Her Algerian ancestry comes from her maternal grandfather, while her father is of mixed French and Vietnamese descent.

In an interview with La Nouvelle République, she explained that she acquired Algerian nationality to honor her grandparents, in connection with her parents' desire to make her forget her origins.

[7] Following her marriage to director Luc Besson and the birth of their daughter in 1993, Maïwenn interrupted her career for several years.

Perhaps Maïwenn's most internationally-seen film role was her appearance as the alien Diva Plavalaguna in Besson's The Fifth Element (1997).

She performed as a stand-up comedian in an autobiographical one-woman-show, and reentered the movie business after several filmmakers saw her comedy routine in Paris.

"[5] Her second film was Le bal des actrices (2009, All About Actresses), in which she appears as herself making a documentary.

[20] Maïwenn was married between 2002 and 2004 to Jean-Yves Le Fur [fr], a magazine publisher and businessman who mainly made a career in fashion and television production.

[21][22] They had a son named Diego in July 2003,[22][23] who later made his film debut as the young Louis XVI in Jeanne du Barry directed by Maïwenn.

"[22][27] In 2023, Maïwenn was accused of assaulting the journalist Edwy Plenel, who alleged she approached him in a Parisian restaurant and grabbed him by the hair before spitting in his face.