Rumors about the alleged demise of Barack Obama and Michelle Obama‘s relationship have been circulating among various outlets for some time. Many have accused the former first lady of embarrassing her husband for revealing secret details about their marriage after nearly 33 years together.
The couple has equally poked fun at the distracting conversations, but the former president took the opportunity to speak on the matter during a recent event.
While speaking at the Jefferson Educational Society event in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 17, Obama said that he’d been spending a lot of his time since leaving office making things up to his wife, per The Daily Beast.
“I have spent over eight years now trying to dig myself out of a hole with Michelle,” joked Obama. “And that’s been challenging, but I feel like I’m making progress. I’m almost breaking even at the moment.”
“I was digging myself out of the hole I found myself with Michelle,” he told historian David Olusoga, shocking fans at London’s O2 Arena Wednesday, according to the Daily Mail. He added, “Now I’m at about level ground.”
Speculation about trouble between the two began swirling after the “Becoming” author was noticeably absent from former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral, as well as from her husband’s attendance at Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
“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,” she said in April on her “IMO” podcast. “People couldn’t believe that I was saying no for any other reason. They had to assume that my marriage was falling apart.”
After relentless reports and speculation about their split, Michelle poked fun at the divorce rumors when the 64-year-old appeared on her and brother-in-law Craig Robinson’s “IMO” podcast.
As the former president joined his wife and brother-in-law on the set, Robinson joked, “Wait, you guys like each other?”
“Oh yeah, really,” replied Michelle. “The rumor mill.”
“She took me back,” joked Obama. “It was touch and go for a while.”
“There hasn’t been one moment in our marriage where I thought about quitting my man,” said the 61-year-old, who has been married to Obama since 1992. They also share two daughters — Sasha and Malia.
The former first lady fiercely defended the father of her two daughters during an interview with Rachel Martin for NPR’s podcast, Wild Cast.
“The fact that people don’t see me going out on a date with my husband sparks rumors of the end of our marriage,” Michelle said. “It’s the apocalypse.”
After Stylecaster shared the news about Barack’s comments, one fan replied in the comment section, “She certainly does wear the pants in the family,” referring to Michelle.
Two others said, “Everyone has marriage woes! If they say they don’t, that’s lie!” and “Best of luck to Barack & Michelle… i hope you overcome this stay together…”
A few chose to reflect on the Obamas, highlighting the challenges they faced and the resilience they showed as the first Black family in the White House, and how they navigated unprecedented scrutiny while setting a new standard for future generations.
“For more than 10 years, the Obama’s have been daily news. And although they’re still in the public eye, they’re living their life as they should,” replied another. “All the folks calling them out for not being attached at the waist. They gave that up when they left the White House.”
The gossip fodder about Barack and Michelle recently picked up again after the two were spotted together on a Yacht with a famous movie and film director.
But it is speculated the two are simply putting up a front for the cameras as one person wrote, “Of course they aren’t going to divorce. She is constantly mentioning how she is jealous of what he has accomplished and living in his shadow. He is just coasting through his retirement.”
