Michelle Obama Shuts Down Divorce Rumors, Emphasizes Independence
Michelle Obama has officially addressed — and dismissed — persistent rumors about trouble in her marriage, revealing she’s simply been focused on making her own “decisions.”
The former First Lady broke her silence after ongoing speculation suggested a rift between her and former President Barack Obama. Married since 1992, the couple’s bond had come under public scrutiny following Michelle’s absence from several recent high-profile events — including Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration and the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter. Her absence from these traditionally attended ceremonies only fueled whispers of marital discord.
Now, the 61-year-old attorney and author has taken to Instagram to put the rumors to rest. On Sunday, June 15, Michelle shared a heartfelt throwback photo of herself, Barack, and their two daughters, offering a subtle but powerful message about unity and family.
While she didn’t directly address the rumors, her post and accompanying message highlighted a woman confidently charting her own path — not one defined by gossip or speculation.
Michelle Obama has put the rumors to bed once and for all (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
In the post, Michelle said her husband has ‘always been there’ for the family and tipped her hat to him on Father’s Day.
She penned: “I love looking back at photos like this of when our girls were younger.
“@BarackObama has always been there for us no matter what — even when it felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. We’ve always been so grateful.
“To Barack and all the dads and father-figures celebrating today, Happy Father’s Day!”
The couple celebrated a major milestone – their 32nd anniversary – in October last year.
The celebratory post also comes as the Becoming Netflix star previously slammed divorce rumors directly on various podcasts, last month stating that ‘everyone would know’ if they were separating while on The Diary of a CEO.
“If I were having problems with my husband, everybody would know about it,” she told Steven Bartlett, adding: “I would be problem solving in public. I’m not a martyr.”
On her own podcast, she revealed she skipped out on Trump’s inauguration for a personal decision that was met with ‘ridicule and criticism’.
“People couldn’t believe that I was saying no for any other reason. They had to assume that my marriage was falling apart,” she declared on her IMO podcast.
Barack Obama attended Trump’s inauguration on his own (Melina Mara – Pool/Getty Images)
The Becoming author also appeared on Sophia Bush’s Work in Progress podcast where she said she’s simply been focusing on herself.
Michelle revealed she felt some guilt for taking a step back from some public-facing duties, adding: “That’s the thing that we as women, I think we struggle with like disappointing people.
“I mean, so much so that this year people 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, right? But that’s what society does to us.”
The couple celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary in October (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Explaining further, she continued: “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.”
Although her absence has been keenly felt in recent months, Michelle did deliver a powerful speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) last summer where she told attendees of her home city, Chicago, to get behind the then-presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
“Hope is making a comeback,” she said to the crowd at the time.
And she hasn’t bowed out of public life completely either as she said on the podcast she’ll remain at the forefront of fighting for certain issues and working on projects close to her heart, adding: “I still care about girls’ education.”
