Long before she was known as the first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama was among the eligible bachelorettes at Harvard Law School, where she obtained her law degree upon her graduation in 1988. To the surprise of many, the man in the Chicago native’s life at the time was none other than the son of acclaimed singer Patti Labelle.
Biographer Peter Slevin briefly divulged the short-lived romance in his 2015 book, “Michelle Obama: A Life.” In it, he wrote that “At Harvard, one beau was law student Stanley Stocker-Edwards, the adopted son of singer Patti LaBelle. Nothing lasted.”
Slevin added that the future first lady once told him, “My family swore I would never find a man that would put up with me.”
Though Slevin previously spoke with Michelle for The Washington Post during her husband Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign, he admitted he took a nuanced approach to crafting the stories.
“Michelle declined to be interviewed. I haven’t spoken with her since the two interviews I did with her during the 2008 campaign, although I was glad for the material in those interviews that hadn’t made it into the paper back then,” he told the Columbia Journalism Review following the release of the book. “There are no blind quotes. Everyone is on the record. The book contains upwards of 1,200 endnotes, in the interest of transparency, credibility, integrity,” he added.
The “Leave the World Behind” producer referred to Labelle as her “other mother” in 2014, when the singer and others were invited to the White House as part of “The History of Women in Soul” panel that kicked off Women’s History Month.
Patti Labelle’s son used to date Michelle Obama?? Small world pic.twitter.com/sc0UxMQbTQ
— The Latifah (@TheLatifah) April 24, 2023
The “Lady Marmalade” singer has also spoken about her son Stanley Stocker-Edwards’ dating past, noting that she once made ribs for Michelle.
“They were a couple. She would come over and I would make her all kinds of things,” said Labelle when she confirmed the romance during a May 2023 episode of the daytime talk show “Sherri.”
Stanley and his brother Dodd were adopted by Labelle and her ex-husband, Armstead Edwards. The Harvard alum currently works as an attorney in Washington, D.C.
Labelle and her ex also share a biological son, Zuri, and the singer’s nephew and niece, William and Stayce, whom she adopted after her sister Jackie succumbed to brain cancer in 1989. The entertainer and her longtime friend were married for 31 years when they separated in 2000. Their divorce was finalized in 2003.
On her almost-daughter-in-law’s current husband, Labelle said, “Barack knew about it, he’s the lucky one.”
The “Becoming” author, of course, found love with Barack, whom she married in October 1992. She has been vocal about their union enduring hardships, especially while raising daughters Sasha and Malia. This year will mark their 32nd wedding anniversary.
