Michelle Obama Addresses Divorce Rumors
Written by djfrosty on April 11, 2025
Our “Forever FLOTUS” is addressing rumors that she and former President Barack Obama are divorcing.
In a new interview on the podcast Work in Progress with Sophia Bush, Mrs. Obama acknowledged that the rumors were largely fueled by her decision to miss both Jimmy Carter’s funeral and Donald Trump’s inauguration earlier this year.
Rumors varied from the beloved former first couple divorcing to even questions whether or not Mrs. Obama was ill.
Per Buzzfeed, Mrs. Obama explained that she looked at her calendar and in the case of a “real big example,” chose not to do something she was “supposed” to. “I chose to do what was best for me. Not what I had to do, not what I thought other people wanted me to do. And between you and me, it was an important test for me as a woman, as an independent person. Because like all women and a lot of people, I operate from guilt,” she continued. “What should I do? What is the best thing for everybody else?”
She did not address what the specific event was that she opted out, but explained that she is reclaiming her time.
She explains that as her daughters Sasha and Malia have reached adulthood and her husband is no longer president, she is living life on her own terms. “It’s the first time in my life all of my choices are for me.”
“But it’s also a little scary. Because as a mom and a busy person, it was always somebody else’s excuse — Why didn’t I do this? Why haven’t I gone there? Well, I have to make sure the girls are okay, or my husband’s president, so I can’t do that,” she continued.
“Now, I can’t blame my decisions and indecisions on anyone other than me,” she continued. “As a woman, I think if I’m honest with myself, I could have made a lot of these decisions years ago. But I didn’t give myself that freedom. Maybe, even as much as I let my kids lead their own lives, I used their lives as an excuse for why I couldn’t do something. And now that’s wrong.”
She added, “But the interesting thing is that when I say no, for the most part, people are like, ‘I get it.’ That’s the thing that we as women struggle with: disappointing people. So much so that this year, people couldn’t even fathom that I was making a choice for myself. They had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing,” she explained. “This couldn’t be a grown woman just making a set of decisions herself, right? But that’s what society does to us.”
Mrs. Obama is currently hosting a podcast IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson where she and her brother take questions about life challenges.