Michelle Obama shut down rampant speculation that she and her husband, former president Barack Obama, are ending their marriage.
“I still care about girls’ education. The library is opening in a year from now, [but there are] certain things I am and am not doing with the library,” Michelle, 61, said on the Tuesday, April 8, episode of Sophia Bush’s “Work in Progress” iHeartRadio podcast. “But, the interesting thing is that when I say no [to a project], for the most part, people are like, ‘I get it’ and I’m OK. That’s the thing that we as women struggle with — disappointing people.”
She added, “I mean, so much so that this year people were, they couldn’t even fathom that I was making a choice for myself, that they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing. This couldn’t be a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself. But, that’s what society does to us. We start actually finally going, ‘What am I doing? Who am I doing this for?’”
According to Michelle, if actions don’t “fit into the stereotype of what people think we should do,” they will get “labeled as something negative and horrible.”
Michelle and Barack, 63, have been married since 1992 after meeting a decade earlier during their early legal careers in Chicago. They welcomed daughters Malia and Sasha in 1998 and 2001, respectively. Seven years after Sasha was born, Barack was elected president of the United States. After two consecutive terms, Barack left the White House in 2016.
Since the end of his presidency, both Barack and Michelle have worked on joint and individual projects.
“There’s always got to be drama, if it doesn’t look like other people’s choices,” Bush, 42, speculated on Wednesday. “I think for both of you, as a viewer from the outside, … I’m like, ‘God, look at them being happy. I love this. You’re back and forth to Hawaii.’ Please let my life be so dramatic on my 61st birthday.”
After Michelle turned 61 in January, Barack posted a sweet social media tribute to his better half.
“Happy birthday to the love of my life, @MichelleObama,” he gushed via X. “You fill every room with warmth, wisdom, humor, and grace — and you look good doing it. I’m so lucky to be able to take on life’s adventures with you. Love you!”
Michelle subsequently reposted Barack’s message onto her account, writing, “Love you, honey!”
