Michelle Obama on Opening Up About Life With Barack—'It Can Feel Dangerous'
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
In a new interview, former first lady Michelle Obama spoke out about the "messy" and "complicated" aspects of life with her husband, former President Barack Obama, noting that sharing those details with the public "can feel dangerous."
Newsweek reached out to Michelle Obama's representative via email on Wednesday for comment.
Why It Matters
The Obamas married on October 3, 1992, and share two daughters: Malia, 27, and Sasha, 24. Earlier this year, the couple faced divorce rumors, leading Michelle to address the speculation on several occasions.
The rumors first began when she didn't attend former President Jimmy Carter's state funeral or President Donald Trump's inauguration in January.
Most recently, Barack appeared on the podcast his wife co-hosts alongside her brother, Craig Robinson, and they poked fun at the rumor mill. When the couple greeted each other with a kiss, Robinson joked, "Wait, you guys like each other?"
"She took me back!" Barack teased, to which Michelle said, "Now don't start."
"It was touch and go for a while," he playfully added.
Then-President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama commemorate the 14th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks at the White House on September 11, 2015.
Then-President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama commemorate the 14th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks at the White House on September 11, 2015.
Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images
What To Know
In an interview with Parents magazine published on Tuesday, the former first lady spoke out about revealing personal aspects of her life on IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson.
"It's so easy for us to curl up into this protective instinct and not talk about the messy or more complicated bits of our lives," Obama said. "It can feel dangerous to expose those imperfect parts of ourselves. But over the years, I have learned that it's really the opposite."
She said that when it came to parenting their daughters during his presidency, "Barack and I did everything we could to give our girls as normal of a life as possible."
"When we were at the White House, we made sure they were doing things like making their beds every morning and as they got older, getting summer jobs. Once we left the White House, their lives slowly began to inch a little closer toward normalcy," the Becoming author said. "But the truth is, their circumstances have been extraordinary in so many ways—and that forced them to learn critical skills like discipline, flexibility, and determination to go after what they really wanted. And now here we are."
Malia and Sasha are still "under more scrutiny than others their age," she said. Still, "they've learned to roll with the punches."
"I'm always so impressed by how they handle it—with grace, resolve, and charm. These days, more than anything, I can't wait to see how they surprise us next."
What People Are Saying
On a recent episode of IMO, Michelle Obama spoke out about a parenting hack she and her husband currently use as empty nesters: "Barack and I, we are all about creating what we call 'the attractive nuisance.' We want to, you know, make it so that you want to be back here. There's that period when they leave in their early 20s, and they're just like, 'Bye! We're living our lives, and we're so happy to be sleeping on a dirty mattress and in college.' They're just now getting to the point where they hang around just a little, a couple of days longer, because the tub is clean and there are bath salts."
What Happens Next
IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson airs new episodes on Wednesdays on platforms like Spotify, YouTube and Apple Podcasts.
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