Turns out, not posting your husband online doesn’t mean your marriage is over—just ask Michelle Obama.
On Thursday, June 26, the 61-year-old former First Lady tackled the swirling divorce rumors head-on during her appearance on NPR’s Wild Card podcast.
“The fact that people don’t see me going out on a date with my husband sparks rumors of the end of our marriage,” Michelle Obama said. “It’s like, ‘OK, so we don’t Instagram every minute of our lives.’”
And she didn’t hold back.
“We are 60,” she emphasized. “You’re just not going to know what we’re doing every minute of the day, you know? And yes, I guess we’re famous, but we’re 60.”
Social media speculation picked up earlier this year after Michelle skipped several big public events—like Donald Trump’s inauguration and Jimmy Carter’s state funeral—and after Barack was seen solo at a Clippers game in March. But Michelle made it clear: those decisions were about protecting her time, not a sign of marital drama.
“One of the major decisions I made this year was to stay put and not attend funerals and inaugurations and all the things that I’m supposed to attend,” Michelle explained. “Whatever the backlash was, I had to sit in it and own it. But I didn’t regret it.”
Rather than entertain the rumors, the mom of two made it clear she’s prioritizing what truly matters—herself.
“It’s my life now,” Michelle said, sharing that after years of putting her family first, she’s finally embracing her own ambition. “Now I can say that whatever I’m doing from this point on is about my ambition.”
Michelle and former President Barack Obama share two daughters: Malia, 26, and Sasha, 24.
Last year, Malia—Michelle and Barack Obama’s eldest daughter—made headlines for dropping the “Obama” surname in her film credits, opting to go by Malia Ann professionally.
Speaking on the Sibling Revelry podcast with Kate and Oliver Hudson in June, Michelle explained, “It is very important for my kids to feel like they’ve earned what they are getting in the world. They don’t want people to assume that they don’t work hard, that they’re just naturally, just handed things.”
Michelle, founder of the Girls Opportunity Alliance, added that while she and Barack, 63, reminded Malia that the name change wouldn’t exactly make her unrecognizable, they still respected her choice. “We were like, they’re still going to know it’s you, Malia,” she said. “But we respected the fact that she’s trying to make her way.”
