“People couldn’t even fathom that I was making a choice for myself… they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing.”
Michelle Obama is one of the most talked-about women in the world. And while she might not live in the White House anymore, the former First Lady still makes headlines more than ever.
Yes, from Michelle Obama’s inspirational pep talks to her highly-anticipated new podcast, the mother of two has been front and centre in 2025.
It is her marriage to 44th US President Barack Obama that gets the world talking the most, with the couple recently celebrating their 32nd wedding anniversary.
However, following Michelle Obama’s absence from a series of high profile engagements, including Donald Trump’s inauguration, the couple quickly became the subject of intense divorce speculation.
The former First Lady, 61, shut down the rumours this week, speaking out about the online narrative during her appearance on Sophia Bush’s podcast, ‘Work in Progress’. And her reminder to the world that she’s a busy “grown woman” who is in control of her own calendar has of course since gone viral.
“That’s the thing that we as women, I think we struggle with like disappointing people,” Obama explained on the most recent ‘Work in Progress’ podcast episode. “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?,” she continued. “But that’s what society does to us.
“I chose to do what was best for me,” she later added. “Not what I had to do. Not what I thought other people wanted me to do.”
Well, that’s yet another reason to love Michelle Obama.
We will continue to update this story.