Michelle Obama says Barack Obama divorce rumor reactions are like 'the apocalypse'

USA Today

2 days ago

In recent months, former first lady Michelle Obama has happily become a wild card.
While appearing on the Thursday, June 26, episode of NPR podcast "Wild Card with Rachel Martin," she made new comments about her marriage to former President Barack Obama.
In her new chapter, the "IMO" podcast cohost has emerged more outspoken than ever, telling Martin that "even in this phase in our lives, when Barack and I say something right or wrong, it does get covered (by news outlets)."
She added: "You know, the fact that people don't see me going out on a date with my husband sparks rumors of the end of our marriage," before Martin chimed in and quipped that "it's like the apocalypse!"
Then, Obama agreed that the response is like "the apocalypse."
"It's like, OK, so we don't Instagram every minute of our lives," the mom of two said. "We are 60. We're 60 y'all. … You just are not gonna know what we're doing every minute of the day, you know?"
During an April episode of her "IMO With Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson" podcast, which she cohosts with her brother Craig Robinson, Obama addressed her choice to skip President Donald Trump's second inauguration ceremony.
"My decision to skip the inauguration – or my decision to make choices at the beginning of this year that suited me – were met with such ridicule and criticism," Obama explained during the episode. "People couldn't believe that I was saying no for any other reason. They had to assume that my marriage was falling apart."
Michelle Obama repeatedly slams divorce rumors
The Obamas sparked online divorce speculation after her husband appeared solo at the January affair, but she pushed back on critics of her choice.
"I'm here really trying to own my life and intentionally practice making the choice that was right for me, and it took everything in my power to not do the thing that 'was right,' or was perceived as right, but do the things that was right for me," she added on "IMO."
But Obama stressed, once again, to Martin on the June 26 episode that her decision was the right choice for her.
"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. That was a part of me using my ambition to say, "Let me define what I want to do, apart from what I'm supposed to do, what the world expects of me," the "Becoming" author told the NPR host.
"And I had, I have to own that. Those are my choices," she continued. "Whatever the backlash was, I had to sit in it and own it. But I didn't regret it, you know? It's my life now, and I can say that, now. But we'll see there. Maybe next year we sit down, I'll go, "You know, Rachel, I went a little too far."