Former first lady Michelle Obama, 61, opened up about raising her two daughters, Malia and Natasha “Sasha” Obama, with former President Barack Obama, 63.
Michelle sat down with rock music legend Bruce Springsteen for the Father’s Day edition of her “IMO” podcast, where she discussed Barack’s role as a father.
“You lose those years. They go by so fast,” Michelle told Springsteen while reflecting on the Democratic politician’s extremely busy schedule during his days as the first Black president.
The Harvard University-educated lawyer recalled singing the lyrics from the 1974 folk song “Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin to Barack when she felt like he “wasn’t doing enough” as a dad.
“You’re gonna look up, and the girls will be gone. Because there is a little window, that parents don’t understand time, when your children even want to be bothered with you,” Michelle recalled telling her husband.
She described Barack as a “tremendous father,” and explained that it was important for the couple to “carve out that time” for Malia and Sasha during their eight years in the White House.
Michelle’s candid discussion to Springsteen about parenting sparked online reactions in the comment section of the podcast’s YouTube video.
One person said, “Such a powerful conversation. Thank you, Bruce and Michelle, you are two amazing, wise, and compassionate humans.”
“The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother,” stated another fan of the former presidential family.
The New York Post readers had another reaction as they slammed Michelle for her remarks about her husband of 33 years.
“Why does she continue to speak out? Unflattering and insulting to her husband – a former President. Stop!” one commenter exclaimed.
An Obama supporter-turned-critic commented, “The more this woman speaks, the less I respect her, and question why I ever liked her so much. Democrats have lost their culture war against America.”
Both Michelle and Barack celebrated Sasha turning 24 years old by sharing a family photo on their respective Instagram pages and writing loving captions about the University of Southern California graduate.
“Happy birthday to my sweet girl, Sasha! Can’t believe how quickly time has flown. I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become. Love you always!” Michelle voiced on the social networking platform.
Similarly, Barack captioned his picture, “Happy birthday, Sasha! Watching you grow into the incredible woman you are has been a true gift. I’ll always be proud of you and will always be here for you.”
Michelle and Barack tied the knot in October 1992, after first meeting in 1989 at the Sidley & Austin law firm in Chicago. Sasha was born on June 10, 2001. Her older sister, Malia, arrived on July 4, 1998.
Since exiting the White House in January 2017 at the end of Barack’s second term as president, speculation about the state of the Obamas’ marriage has continued to spread.
Republican political pundit Meghan McCain pushed the narrative that Michelle was considering divorcing Barack. The daughter of late Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain amplified the unsubstantiated gossip in January 2025.
“I have been hearing this rumor that the Obamas are getting a divorce by reputable people,” McCain claimed on an episode of her “Citizen McCain” podcast.
The 40-year-old television personality also said, “I’m talking about like very serious journalists, telling me that they’re hearing that the Obama divorce rumors are true.”
Barack showing up to former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral and President Donald Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025, without his wife, fueled more assumptions about their marriage.
Michelle has denied that she and Barack are headed towards a breakup. The “Becoming” memoir author confronted the divorce rumors while appearing on Sophia Bush’s “Work in Progress” podcast.
“We as women struggle with, disappointing people. 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,” Michelle stated.
The two-time Grammy Award winner resumed, “This couldn’t be a grown woman just making a set of decisions herself, right? But that’s what society does to us.” She added, “And if it doesn’t fit into the sort of stereotype of what people think we should do, then it gets labeled as something negative and horrible.”
