Former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, have been the ideal power couple everyone looked up to. Over the years, they have balanced their partnership and high-profile careers with perfection despite immense media scrutiny.
Yet, since leaving the White House, Barack and Michelle Obama’s marriage has often been the subject of unwanted speculation. The buzz picked up after Michelle skipped the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter.
Body language experts analyzed Barack Obama’s conduct as he attended the event alone alongside other political leaders. Netizens, on the other hand, had their own speculative theories. Michelle also missed Trump’s inaugural ceremony in January 2025, which added fuel to the ongoing divorce rumors.
However, Michelle Obama addressed these rumors last year during a conversation on Sophia Bush’s podcast ‘Work in Progress,’ where she explained her decision not to attend certain events.
“I looked at my calendar and made a choice that was best for me—not something I felt obligated to do or that others expected from me,” she added.
During the second half of the chat show, she briefly opened up about the speculation around her divorce and said, “The idea that I could simply be making decisions for myself—without it signaling trouble in my marriage—was hard for some people to grasp,” she said.
The conversation resurfaced after Barack Obama appeared on the “No Lie” podcast with Brian Tyler Cohen.
“No Lie with @briantylercohen” podcast interview with @BarackObama will be presented in its entirety on C-SPAN today (Feb. 16, #PresidentsDay) at 8pmET. pic.twitter.com/XoOYYOu3x7
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 16, 2026
During the interview, Obama was asked whether he would consider running for office again after serving two terms as President.
“First of all, I’m not a politician anymore and I can’t be, right?” Obama said, referencing constitutional term limits. He added, “I believe in the Constitution,” in what many interpreted as a subtle jab at talk of Donald Trump seeking a third term.
He then joked, “And also I believe in my marriage, and Michelle would divorce me if I could run again,” laughing as he said it.
The comment quickly went viral on social media, with users debating whether he was entirely joking. Some suggested there may have been a brutal truth behind the joke.
According to The Atlanta Black Star, The Jasmine Brand’s Instagram page received a range of reactions. One user wrote, “Somewhere in that joke is the truth.” Another commented, “Happy wife happy life.” A third supporter stated, “I believe him too. This country doesn’t deserve him anyway.”
View this post on Instagram
Other comments included, “He is low-key serious. You could tell Michelle was not feeling the political life in the WH. I wished like hell he could come back tho, save us from this madness.”
Many referenced Michelle’s memoir, “Becoming.” In it, she detailed the strain that Barack’s political career placed on their family. Speaking on The Diary of a CEO podcast, the Chicago native shared some truth bombs about living in the official residence and said that it was quite expensive.
Michelle spent eight years in the White House from 2009 to 2017 with Barack and their daughters, Sasha and Malia.
On another episode of the “Diary of a CEO” podcast, Michelle explained that it was their choice not to broadcast their personal life. She noted, “We’re 60—you’re not going to know what we’re doing every minute.”
Today, the couple is focused on the Obama Foundation and the development of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. Married since 1992, they have now shifted their focus to mentoring, entrepreneurship ventures and civic engagement rather than quickly returning to elected office.
