Michelle Obama, the former first lady, recently addressed the rumors surrounding her marriage to Barack Obama, during an interview on Sophia Bush's "Work in Progress" podcast on April 8.
She dismissed the speculation about a potential divorce, attributing it to societal expectations and misconceptions about her newfound independence.
In the candid conversation, Mrs. Obama revealed the significant transformation she has experienced since her departure from the White House. She expressed her delight in her newfound freedom, stating, "Its whatever I want." According to the Daily Caller, she further clarified, "People couldnt even fathom that I was making a choice for myself they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing. This couldnt be a grown woman just making a set of decisions herself, right? But thats what society does to us."
The rumors of a potential split between the Obamas gained momentum when Michelle Obama was notably absent from the funeral of the late President Jimmy Carter and the inauguration of President Donald Trump in January. However, the former first lady explained that her absence was a personal choice, not indicative of marital discord.
Mrs. Obama also opened up about the personal sacrifices she made while serving as the first lady and raising her daughters, Sasha and Malia. She admitted to using her role as the president's wife as an excuse to decline certain events or activities, saying, "Thats a good get out of jail free card. Im so sorry, I cant come. Im married to the president.'"
Despite foregoing opportunities to live the life she desired, Mrs. Obama acknowledged that these decisions were her own. "Now, you know, I cant blame my decisions and indecisions on anyone other than me," she said. She also admitted to using her children's lives as an excuse for not pursuing certain opportunities, stating, "Maybe even as much as I let my kids live their own lives, I used their lives as an excuse for why I couldnt do something."
The former first lady also suggested that her newfound freedom to make personal choices may have fueled the divorce rumors. She expressed her determination to ask herself hard questions about her identity and purpose, saying, "Now is the time for me to start asking myself these hard questions of who do I truly want to be every day?"
Mrs. Obama acknowledged the complexity of these new personal decisions, recognizing that they carry a significant weight of introspection. She concluded, "We start actually going, what am I? What am I doing? What am I doing this for? And if it doesnt fit into the sort of stereotype of what people think we should do, then it gets labeled as something negative and horrible."
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