Michelle Obama pushed back against lingering divorce rumors and explained her recent absence from high-profile events during a revealing appearance on the Wild Card podcast.
The former First Lady said she has stepped away from the public eye to embrace a slower, more private chapter of life alongside her husband, Barack Obama, after decades of public service and scrutiny.
“It’s like, ‘OK, so we don’t Instagram every minute of our lives,'” she said. “We are 60. We’re 60, y’all. You just are not gonna know what we’re doing every minute of the day.”
Her comments come after months of speculation about the Obamas’ marriage, fueled by Michelle’s absence from events such as former president Jimmy Carter’s funeral and Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
While Michelle didn’t directly address the rumors, she made it clear that her decision to skip those moments was intentional and personal.
“Whatever the backlash was, I had to sit in it and own it,” she said. “But I didn’t regret it.”
Michelle also opened up about the toll her time in the White House took on her personal goals, suggesting that the demands of being First Lady and raising two daughters under intense public scrutiny left her feeling depleted.
“All of that stuff, it kind of cut my ambitions short a little bit,” she said. “I don’t know if my ambition has ever fully been able to actualize itself.”
The Obamas, who married in 1992 and share daughters Malia and Sasha, have long been viewed as a political power couple. But Michelle’s recent remarks suggest that after years in the spotlight, both she and Barack are prioritizing rest and privacy over public appearances.