Former U.S. First Lady and best-selling author, Michelle Obama, has dismissed circulating rumours about her divorce from former President Barack Obama, saying her recent personal decisions were misconstrued.
Speaking during a recent podcast interview with Hollywood actress Sophia Bush on Work in Progress, the 61-year-old attorney clarified that her absence from President Jimmy Carter’s funeral and Donald Trump’s inauguration were deliberate choices made for herself — not signs of marital issues.
Speculations about a possible split between the Obamas intensified after former President Barack Obama admitted he was in a “deep deficit” with his wife, further fueling public curiosity and gossip.
Michelle, however, debunked the assumptions, pointing out how society often misinterprets a woman’s autonomy.
“That’s the thing that we as women, I think we struggle with: disappointing people,” she said. “People couldn’t even fathom that I was making a choice for myself… they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing.”
Challenging gender-based stereotypes, she added, “This couldn’t be a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself, right? That’s what society does to us.”
Reflecting on aging and identity, Michelle said that life after turning 61 would look “like whatever I want it to look like.”
Michelle and Barack Obama have been married since October 3, 1992, and share two daughters, Malia Ann and Sasha Obama.
