“We don’t Instagram every minute of our lives”: Michelle Obama clears the air on Barack and the internet’s obsession with her marriage

Michelle Obama is pushing back against speculation about her marriage, offering a straightforward explanation for why she and former President Barack Obama aren't often seen together in public: they simply don’t document every moment online.

Speaking on NPR’s Wild Card podcast, the former First Lady shared her view on how social media expectations can distort reality.

“The fact that people don’t see me going out on a date with my husband sparks rumours of the end of our marriage.”

She went on:

“It’s like, ‘OK, so we don’t Instagram every minute of our lives. We are 60. We’re 60, y’all.’ You just are not gonna know what we’re doing every minute of the day.”

Rumors had picked up after Michelle Obama was noticeably absent from several high-profile events attended by her husband, including the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter and Donald Trump’s inauguration earlier this year.

However, Mrs. Obama said her recent decisions were about asserting her own priorities. She explained:

“One of the major decisions I made this year was to stay put and not attend funerals and inaugurations and all the things that I’m supposed to attend. That was a part of me using my ambition to say, ‘Let me define what I want to do, apart from what I’m supposed to do, what the world expects of me.’ And I have to own that.”

She added:

“Whatever the backlash was, I had to sit in it and own it. But I didn’t regret it, you know? It’s my life now, and I can say that, now.”

In a separate episode of her podcast with brother Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama lightheartedly commented on her family.

“I’m so glad I didn’t have a boy because he would have been a Barack Obama.”

When guest Angie Martinez responded, saying—

“Baby Barack. It would have been amazing.”

—Michelle Obama joked:

“No, I would’ve felt for him.”

Earlier this year, Barack Obama publicly celebrated his wife’s birthday with a heartfelt social media post, pushing back in his own way against rumors of a rift.

Michelle Obama on finally embracing her own ambition: "All my choices are mine."

In the Wild Card podcast interview, Michelle Obama also opened up about her personal journey with ambition. According to the former First Lady, for the first time in her life, she’s finally giving it space to grow.

When asked whether ambition had ever led her astray, she answered:

"I don't know if my ambition has ever fully been able to actualize itself because of the nature of what me and my husband have done."

She acknowledged that much of her life was shaped around their joint goals as a team:

"It was the team ambition. And I went along, arguably kicking and screaming, right?"

However, things are different now. She said:

"I think I'm now at a stage in my life where all my choices are mine. Now I can say that whatever I'm doing from this point on is about my ambition."

Mrs. Obama also spoke honestly about how motherhood impacted her drive, admitting she had to sideline certain ambitions to prioritize her family. Still, she remained connected to what could have been. She added:

"I don't know if I can afford to be ambitious right now. So I have to take a step back. Even though ambition is there, I can see where I can make more money, I could do that. But, you know, I got these little kids that I love. And I do wanna go to the Halloween parade.”

Now, she says, the time has come for her to reclaim that space:

"Maybe the answer is, 'We'll see.' Because I think I'm just now stepping, fully stepping, into my own ambition. And right now, I have not regretted it."

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