Serious rumors of an impending divorce between former President Barack Obama and wife Michelle Obama have circulated for months, especially in the wake of the former president being seen alone at public events.
However, according to The Washington Times, the former first lady finally addressed the rumors during a recent podcast interview, pushing back on them and insisting that her "independent" decisions sparked the false rumors.
The rumor mill ramped up significantly after Michelle Obama didn't attend the late President Jimmy Carter's funeral ceremony and then skipped out on President Donald Trump's inauguration.
During the podcast interview, the former first lady strongly denied that she had divorce in the cards.
Michelle Obama broke her silence during an interview on "Work in Progress," a podcast hosted by actress Sophia Bush.
"That’s the thing that we as women struggle with: disappointing people," Obama said. "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."
Michelle Obama shuts down divorce rumors after being noticeably absent from public events with Barack:
“And that’s the thing that we as women struggle with — disappointing people. So much so that people, they couldn’t even fathom that I was making a choice for myself, that they… pic.twitter.com/JGgPL4uqUj
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) April 9, 2025
She essentially mocked those circulating the rumors, insisting that she was simply making independent decisions that had nothing to do with the state of her marriage.
"This couldn’t be a grown woman just making a set of decisions herself," Obama added. "It’s the first time in my life all of my choices are for me."
The Washington Times noted:
Married to Mr. Obama since 1992, Ms. Obama pointed out that her roles as first lady and mother to daughters Sasha and Malia often meant deferring to the needs of others.
“I have to make sure the girls are OK, or my husband’s president, so I can’t do that,” she said. “Now, I can’t blame my decisions and indecisions on anyone other than me.”
Users across social media reacted differently to the news, with some speculating that the Obamas could already be separated, while others think the rumors are simply just rumors.
"Soooo, they’ve separated already then," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "The way Michelle handled this… Iconic. No time for rumors when you’re out here living your best life."
Only time will tell if the rumors have any truth to them.
