Former First Lady Michelle Obama is setting the record straight — again. As rumors continue to swirl about her marriage with former President Barack Obama, she’s giving some reasoning behind the events fueling them.
Social media culture blamed
In a new interview on NPR’s “Wild Card” podcast, Michelle Obama said the public’s obsession with seeing the couple’s constant updates is partially to blame for the speculation around her marriage.
“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 said.
She also called out “the instant gratification of Instagram” and the societal expectation that people should document every moment. “We are 60. You are just not going to know what we’re doing every minute of the day,” she said.
The rumors that sparked it all
The first wave of gossip started with a strange claim: that Barack Obama and actress Jennifer Aniston were secretly dating. Anniston shot the rumor down on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in October 2024, saying, “I’ve met him once. I know Michelle more than him.”
Then Meghan McCain reignited the drama on her podcast, claiming journalists told her the Obamas were “definitely” divorcing. On top of that, Barack Obama was solo at events like Jimmy Carter’s funeral, Donald Trump’s inauguration and a Los Angeles Clippers game — all feeding the public speculation.
“A deep deficit” in their marriage?
The Obamas haven’t shied away from honesty about the challenges they’ve faced. In April, Barack Obama admitted he’s been working to rebuild parts of their relationship after years of putting the presidency first.
He called it a “deep deficit” and said he’s been trying to bring more fun and connection back into their marriage.
Out-of-context clips and public absence
One recent clip from Michelle Obama’s podcast with her brother Craig Robinson was also taken out of context.
“I’m so glad I didn’t have a boy. Because he would’ve been a Barack Obama,” she joked.
In the episode, she discussed with Angie Martinez about raising boys to be compassionate and responsible men.
“Teach him how to deal with the traffic stop, but also teach him how to communicate in a marriage and be a listening father and compassionate neighbor,” she said. “Somebody who’s gonna pay attention and care about something outside of himself.”
She added that raising a child with that kind of awareness helps make life choices more clear, particularly when thinking about the kind of man he needs to become.
Michelle also explained that one of the biggest decisions she made recently was to stop attending certain public events, not out of marital issues, but out of her ambition to protect her peace.
“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,’” she said.
Grateful for Barack
Despite all the online noise, Michelle made her love for Barack crystal clear with a recent Father’s Day Instagram post.
“@BarackObama has always been there for us no matter what — even when it felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. We’ve always been so grateful,” she captioned the image.
