Former First Lady of the US, Michelle Obama, has finally spoken out about persistent rumors surrounding her marriage, and she’s not holding back.
Appearing on the May 1 episode of The Diary of a CEO podcast with Steven Bartlett, Michelle made it clear that if she and former President Barack Obama were splitting, the world wouldn’t be guessing.
“If I were having problems with my husband, everybody would know about it,” she said firmly. “My brother would know it. I’d be problem solving in public. I’m not a martyr.”
Craig Robinson, her brother and co-host of the In Michelle Obama (IMO) podcast, chimed in with humor: “I’d be doing a podcast with Barack Obama.”
The rumors aren’t new. Whispers of a marital rift first surged after Michelle skipped Donald Trump’s second inauguration—fueling theories that her absence signaled deeper trouble at home.
But on the April 23 episode of IMO, she set the record straight.
“People couldn’t believe that I was saying no for any other reason. They had to assume that my marriage was falling apart,” Michelle explained. “I’m here really trying to own my life… It took everything in my power to not do the thing that was ‘right’ but to do the thing that was right for me.”
She later told Bartlett that skipping the event was part of shedding the pressure of always being the model figure.
“I think I just told myself, ‘I think I’ve done enough of that,’ and if I haven’t, then I never will. It’ll never be enough. So let me start now.”
Despite the buzz, Michelle described her relationship with Barack as grounded in complementary differences.
“When I met Barack Obama, he showed up in my life as the opposite of a box checker… He did nothing by the book. He was brilliant and interesting.”
The Obamas, married since 1992, are parents to Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23. Since leaving the White House, Michelle has embraced a candid tone—both in her bestselling books and her podcast—taking control of her narrative, one rumor at a time.