The former first lady is spilling the beans. She’s not afraid if people know these shocking details.
And Michelle Obama delivers a shocking tell-all about these scandalous Barack rumors.
Michelle Obama Shuts Down Divorce Rumors, Embraces Her Independence
Michelle Obama is setting the record straight. The former first lady recently addressed swirling rumors about her marriage to Barack Obama, dismissing claims of a divorce as nothing more than chatter sparked by her choice to step into her own power.
Speaking candidly on Sophia Bush’s “Work in Progress” podcast on Wednesday, the 61-year-old opened up about the speculation that erupted earlier this year when she skipped several high-profile events, including President Trump’s inauguration.
The gossip gained traction after Barack attended Trump’s swearing-in and President Jimmy Carter’s funeral solo, leaving onlookers buzzing about trouble in the Obama household. But Michelle isn’t fazed.
“The interesting thing is that, when I say ‘no,’ for the most part people are like, ‘I get it, and I’m OK,’” she said, reflecting on her decision to pass on those invitations. “And that’s the thing that we as women struggle with — disappointing people.”
For Michelle, the rumors reveal a deeper truth about societal expectations. “So much so that people, 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,” she explained.
“A grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself” shouldn’t be headline-worthy, she argued.
“But that’s what society does to us,” she added. “We actually finally start going, ‘What am I doing? Who am I doing this for?’ And if it doesn’t fit into the sort of stereotype of what people think we should do, then it gets labeled as something negative and horrible.”
The rumor mill kicked into high gear in January, fueled by Michelle’s absence from those key events. Later, it emerged that she’d been soaking up an extended stay in Hawaii during Carter’s funeral and had deliberately dodged Trump’s inauguration to skip the forced smiles.
Now free from the constraints of White House life and with daughters Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23, out on their own, Michelle is relishing the chance to call her own shots.
“I get to look at my calendar, which I did this year. It was a real big example of me, myself, looking at something that I was supposed to do, you know, without naming names, and I chose to do what was best for me,” the former first lady stated.
That shift, she admitted, has been a personal milestone. “Not what I had to do, not what other people wanted me to do, and between you and me, that was an important test for me just as a woman, as an independent person. Because, like all women, I operate from guilt,” she shared.
Stepping away from that guilt has meant embracing what she calls “big girl decisions” — and owning them without apology. “Now is the time for me to start asking myself these hard questions of, ‘Who do I truly want to be every day?’ And that changes,” she said.
So what does that look like in practice? Freedom, plain and simple according to Obama:
“Who do I want to have a lunch with? How long do I want to stay in a place? Do I want to travel? If a girlfriend calls and says, ‘Let’s go here,’ I can say ‘Yes!’ I can. And I’m trying to do that more and more,” she revealed.
Life on her terms doesn’t mean stepping back entirely, though. “It looks like whatever I want it to look like. And I still find time to give speeches, to be out there in the world, to work on projects. I still care about girls’ education,” she emphasized.
For now, the divorce rumors between the Obamas have been put to bed. But that doesn’t mean more will resurface in the future.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
