Michelle Obama’s latest attempt to tame the rumor mill has only further fueled speculation that her marriage to Barack is on the rocks.
The former first lady addressed the swirling divorce rumors head on in an interview with Rachel Martin, host of NPR’s Wild Card podcast, released Thursday.
But instead of dismissing the rumors altogether, Michelle deflected and instead left fans wondering if the famous couple really do have something to hide.
‘The fact that people don’t see me going out on a date with my husband sparks rumors of the end of our marriage,’ she told Martin, who jokingly claimed the behavior was the ‘apocalypse’.
‘It’s the apocalypse,’ Michelle, 61, echoed, before offering up a rather lackluster excuse: ‘We don’t take selfies.’
‘It’s like, “OK, so we don’t Instagram every minute of our lives.” We are 60. We’re 60, y’all. You just are not gonna know what we’re doing every minute of the day.’
But Michelle stopped short of issuing a full denial that her marriage is over.
Rumors that the couple’s 33-year marriage had unraveled began circulating after Michelle was noticeably absent from several high-profile events earlier this year; including the presidential inauguration and funeral of former President Jimmy Carter.
They were further exacerbated last week when Michelle was spotted having lunch with her daughters and another, somewhat surprising companion at an exclusive beach club in Mallorca. Barack, however, was noticeably absent.
Michelle Obama addressed the swirling divorce rumors head on in an interview with Rachel Martin, host of NPR’s Wild Card podcast
But instead of dismissing the rumors altogether, Michelle deflected and instead left fans wondering if she and Barack (pictured together at the 2024 Democratic National Convention) really do have something to hide
Michelle, during her chat with Martin, admitted her ‘major decision’ not to accompany Barack at these events has sparked ‘backlash’ – but she has no regrets.
‘One of the major decisions I made this year was to stay put and not attend funerals and inaugurations and all the things that I’m supposed to attend, Michelle explained.
‘That was a part of me using my ambition to say, “Let me define what I want to do, apart from what I’m supposed to do, what the world expects of me.” And I have to own that. Those are my choices.
‘Whatever the backlash was, I had to sit in it and own it. But I didn’t regret it, you know? It’s my life now, and I can say that, now.’
The public, however, is not at all convinced by Michelle’s explanation, with several claiming it ‘makes no sense’.
‘Michelle Obama says that she’s 60 so she doesn’t go on dates with her husband. But for heaven’s sake people in their 80s go on dates,’ one X user wrote. ‘So the mystery continues about the divorce.’
‘I see couples older than them out together all the time,’ one person echoed, while another added: ‘My husband and I are both 71 and still have date nights.’
‘What is the real reason you think?’ one user questioned.
Another argued Michelle’s ‘mindset only exists in “political marriages”.’
‘If your entire life is based around a political marriage, you probably shouldn’t try to be a role model for young ladies who intend to marry the love of their lives,’ the user hit out. ‘Because you clearly didn’t…’
The public, however, is not at all convinced by Michelle’s explanation, with several claiming it ‘makes no sense’
Michelle tried last month to dismiss the speculation about marital issues during an episode of The Diary of a CEO.
‘If I were having problems with my husband, everybody would know about it,’ she told the podcast.
She also recently appeared on Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang’s Las Culturistas podcast and made it clear she doesn’t like being referred to as ‘Mrs. Obama’.
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During their sit-down, Matt revealed that before cameras started rolling, Michelle had asked him not to call her ‘Mrs. Obama.’
‘Earlier I was like, “Thank you so much, Mrs. Obama,” and you said, “Michelle,”‘ Rogers said.
‘I did say that,’ Michelle responded with a laugh, before explaining why she likes to avoid the name. ‘We cannot have a real conversation if you’re saying, “Mrs Obama,” that’s too many syllables.’
Matt then asked if she is usually quick to ‘put down that shield for people,’ and Michelle claimed that she’s generally tries to appear less intimidating.
‘I was trying to do that when I was first lady because I just think… I am not that position. I am Michelle,’ she explained. ‘I’m always trying to break down that wall to say, “We’re just all here.” And the first thing to do is like, let’s drop that title, that’s a little heavy.’
The couple’s eldest daughter Malia has also dropped her famous surname and is now going by Malia Ann professionally.
Michelle has publicly supported Malia’s decision, emphasizing that she wants her daughter to ‘carve her own path’ and ‘make her way’.
Michelle and Barack have been married for almost 33 years but have faced ongoing rumors about their marriage status over the last several months. The couple are pictured with their daughters Malia and Sasha
Michelle and Barack Obama are pictured together on their wedding day in October 1992
After skipping out on Donald Trump’s inauguration and Jimmy Carter’s funeral in January, Michelle did not join Barack for their usual courtside seats at the NBA All-Star Game in March.
The couple were spotted out on a date night in NYC in May, after having also been seen going out to dinner in DC the month before.
Social media and news reports have all served to amplify claims that the couple may soon be heading for a split.
On a recent podcast Michelle revealed how she is in therapy to help her transition to what she thinks is the ‘next phase’ of her life.
During the episode, Michelle acknowledged that marriage is ‘hard’ for her and the former president but added that ‘I wouldn’t trade it,’ calling President Obama, ‘as the young people say… my person.’
‘The beauty of my husband and our partnership is that neither one of us was ever really, ever going to quit at it, because that’s not who we are. And I know that about him. He knows that about me.’
Michelle has been open about her marriage struggles throughout the years, particularly on her and Robinson’s podcast IMO.
She has also discussed being an ’empty nester’ and admitted to getting ‘some help’ as she heads into her 60s.
Michelle (pictured with Barack in a photo he shared in February) dismissed speculation about her marriage and addressed the rumors head on during a podcast episode of The Diary of a CEO in May
‘At this phase of my life, I’m in therapy right now because I’m transitioning, you know?’ she said on a recent episode of On The Jay Shetty Podcast.
‘I’m 60 years old, I’ve finished a really hard thing in my life with my family intact, I’m an empty nester, my girls are in – you know, they’ve been launched,’ she said.
Michelle said that she’s got ‘other voices’ to talk to and a ‘new person that’s getting to know me’ as she works through things.
Being out of public service, she now finds herself in a situation where ‘every choice that I’m making is completely mine.’
‘I now don’t have the excuse of, “Well, my kids need this” or “My husband needs that” or “The country needs that.”‘
She says that therapy is a ‘tune-up for this next phase’ in an attempt to ‘unwind some old habits and ‘sort through some old guilt,’ along with focusing on her relationship with her own mother.