Michelle Obama Speaks on Rumors She and Barack are Getting Divorced

Michelle Obama has responded to rumors surrounding her marriage to former President Barack Obama, which surfaced after their public appearances in January. At that time, Barack attended former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral without Michelle, and shortly after, Michelle confirmed she would not attend Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration. This sparked speculation that the couple might be heading toward divorce.

During an appearance on the Work in Progress podcast with Sophia Bush, Michelle addressed these rumors and shared her perspective. “The interesting thing is that, when I say ‘no,’ for the most part people are like, ‘I get it, and I’m OK,’” she said. “That’s the thing that we as women, I think we struggle with—disappointing people. I mean, so much so that this year people couldn't even fathom that I was making a choice for myself that they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing.”

She added, “This couldn't be a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself, right? But that’s what society does to us. We start actually, finally going, ‘What am I doing? Who am I doing this for?’ And if it doesn't fit into the sort of stereotype of what people think we should do, then it gets labeled as something negative and horrible.”

Michelle’s comments follow a recent revelation by Barack during an event at Hamilton College on April 3, where he reflected on how his presidency affected their marriage. "I was in a deep deficit with my wife,” he said. “I’ve been trying to dig myself out of that hole by doing occasionally fun things.”

In previous interviews, Michelle has also opened up about their relationship, particularly the challenges they faced during Barack’s political career. In an interview with Revolt TV, she spoke about the balance of their partnership: “There are times I’m 70, he’s 30. There are times he’s 60, I’m 40.” She also candidly admitted, “There were 10 years where I couldn’t stand him,” but quickly added, “I would take 10 bad years over 30. It’s just how you look at it.”

Michelle explained that their struggles stemmed from the imbalance in their roles at the time, particularly with her focusing on raising their children while Barack was pursuing his political ambitions. “That’s when all the measuring starts,” she said, acknowledging that couples often “turn that ire on each other” during challenging times.

Her recent remarks seem to support sources who told Page Six that Michelle’s decision not to attend certain events was simply a personal choice. “They don’t pretend that they have this Camelot relationship. They’re not trying to present that they’re this magical couple,” the source said.