Rumors of divorce in the Obama marriage have been growing lately. Not helping are the words of former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama, who has been absent from Barack's important events in recent months, stating that she is currently struggling to make her own decisions and think about how to dedicate herself, as reported by Efe.
In the podcast titled 'Work in Progress', where she speaks with actress Sophia Bush and as reported by media outlets like CNN, Obama mentioned that eight years after the White House, with two adult daughters, she now has the opportunity to control her own schedule and make decisions for herself.
"I could have made many of these decisions years ago, but I didn't give myself that freedom," said Obama. "Perhaps, even though I let my daughters live their own lives, I used them as an excuse not to do something," she added in the interview, as reported by CNN.
"That's over now. So now I have to review my schedule, which I did this year, it was a great example of myself, of how I dedicated myself to something I had to do (...) and I chose to do what was best for me, not what I had to do, not what I thought others wanted me to do."
The former first lady did not attend the second inauguration of President Donald Trump, as well as the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter in January, and these events sparked rumors among the press and social media about a possible rift with her husband, former President Barack Obama.
"I still find time to, you know, give speeches, be in the world, work on projects. I still care about girls' education," said the former first lady.
"That's what we, as women, I think struggle with, disappointing people. So much so that this year people couldn't even imagine that I was making a decision for myself, and they had to say that my husband and I were getting divorced."
Obama emphasized during the podcast that she wanted to reflect on how she liked to spend her free time and ask herself: "Who do I really want to be each day?", she said, according to NBC News.
"Who do I want to have lunch with? How long do I want to stay in one place? Do I want to travel? If a friend calls me and says let's go, I can say yes," she said. "And I'm trying to do it more and more," she added, as reported by this outlet.
The Obamas, who have completed two consecutive terms in the White House as a married couple, have been together for 32 years, according to a post from the former president in October on X.