Former US First Lady Michelle Obama is keeping it real about the highs and lows of marriage — opening up amid ongoing divorce rumors that have followed her ever since she famously skipped Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Speaking with Steven Barlett during Thursday's episode of "The Diary of a CEO" podcast, Michelle Obama shared her honest thoughts about marriage.
“There are so many natural reasons why marriage, infertility [and] trying to have kids makes things difficult,” Obama said.
"I try to tell couples, ‘Of course it’s hard. Just listen to what I said, like, if you’re having some issues in your marriage, it’s not you. It’s the process of marriage. It’s just all hard,’” she added.
Michelle Obama reflected on the challenges of long-term relationships, emphasising that even seemingly perfect marriages require effort and resilience.
“I think people give up too quickly,” she said. "If you’re not getting help, talking about it [and] going to therapy, just understanding how things are changing, how do you continuously renegotiate your relationship with your partner?” She asked.
She also addressed how public perception can be misleading: “I just see people quitting because they look at me and Barack and go, ‘Hashtag couple goals.’ I’m like, ‘It’s hard for us too, but I wouldn’t trade it.’ He is, as the young people say, my person.”
The Obamas married in Chicago in 1992. They had their first daughter, Malia, in 1998, and their second, Sasha, in 2001.
The family moved into the White House after Barack was elected President in 2008, serving two terms until 2016. After his presidency, Barack admitted he was in a "deep deficit with my wife," acknowledging the toll his political career had taken on their relationship.
"The beauty of my husband and our partnership is that neither one of us was ever really going to quit at it 'cause that's not who we are," Michelle told Bartlett.
"I know that about him [and] he knows that about me." she added.
Regarding her absence from Trump's inauguration, Obama clarified it was unrelated to her marriage.
“People couldn't believe that I was saying no for any other reason; they had to assume that my marriage was falling apart,” she said on her IMO podcast earlier this month.
"It took everything in my power to not do the thing that was perceived as right, but do the thing that was right for me. That was a hard thing for me to do."
Her absence at the inauguration, followed by her absence from another high-profile event, the funeral of Jimmy Carter, triggered speculations over her marital discord with former president Barack Obama. It was at the same time that rumors of Barack Obama dating Jennifer Aniston started doing the rounds.
Speaking with Steven Barlett during Thursday's episode of "The Diary of a CEO" podcast, Michelle Obama shared her honest thoughts about marriage.
“There are so many natural reasons why marriage, infertility [and] trying to have kids makes things difficult,” Obama said.
"I try to tell couples, ‘Of course it’s hard. Just listen to what I said, like, if you’re having some issues in your marriage, it’s not you. It’s the process of marriage. It’s just all hard,’” she added.
Michelle Obama reflected on the challenges of long-term relationships, emphasising that even seemingly perfect marriages require effort and resilience.
“I think people give up too quickly,” she said. "If you’re not getting help, talking about it [and] going to therapy, just understanding how things are changing, how do you continuously renegotiate your relationship with your partner?” She asked.
She also addressed how public perception can be misleading: “I just see people quitting because they look at me and Barack and go, ‘Hashtag couple goals.’ I’m like, ‘It’s hard for us too, but I wouldn’t trade it.’ He is, as the young people say, my person.”
The Obamas married in Chicago in 1992. They had their first daughter, Malia, in 1998, and their second, Sasha, in 2001.
The family moved into the White House after Barack was elected President in 2008, serving two terms until 2016. After his presidency, Barack admitted he was in a "deep deficit with my wife," acknowledging the toll his political career had taken on their relationship.
"The beauty of my husband and our partnership is that neither one of us was ever really going to quit at it 'cause that's not who we are," Michelle told Bartlett.
"I know that about him [and] he knows that about me." she added.
Regarding her absence from Trump's inauguration, Obama clarified it was unrelated to her marriage.
🔥🚨BREAKING: Former First Lady Michelle Obama claimed that people ‘assumed’ her marriage was falling apart while she was addressing the ridicule and criticism she faced for skipping Donald Trump’s inauguration. pic.twitter.com/NUyJEArNrk
— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) April 23, 2025
“People couldn't believe that I was saying no for any other reason; they had to assume that my marriage was falling apart,” she said on her IMO podcast earlier this month.
"It took everything in my power to not do the thing that was perceived as right, but do the thing that was right for me. That was a hard thing for me to do."
Her absence at the inauguration, followed by her absence from another high-profile event, the funeral of Jimmy Carter, triggered speculations over her marital discord with former president Barack Obama. It was at the same time that rumors of Barack Obama dating Jennifer Aniston started doing the rounds.
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