Could Barack and Michelle Obama be heading for a divorce?
Some fans are starting to suspect something is awry in the former first couple’s marriage after news broke that Michelle would not be attending Donald Trump‘s inauguration ceremony with her husband.
‘Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration,’ the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama told Associated Press this week.
Michelle was also noticeably absent from former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral on January 9 due to a ‘scheduling conflict.’
These two huge non-appearances have some fans of the political power couple concerned there’s trouble in paradise, with many taking to X to share their thoughts.
‘I’m calling it, the Obamas are getting a divorce,’ wrote one person.
Another posted: ‘An Obama divorce would not be on my 2025 predictions but it might happen.’
One claimed: ‘Her and Obama are on the outs!! They are getting a divorce!!! She doesn’t want to be around him!!!’
‘Sounds like an Obama divorce is on the horizon, we’ve all seen it, they stop attending functions together,’ another typed.
Another user also said: ‘I feel like the Obamas are about to get a divorce..’
However, there were some who dismissed the rumor and instead suggested Michelle was only making a political statement.
‘I don’t know anything about their marriage, but it’s very clear to me that Michelle Obama is making a very specific *political* statement with these absences. She would never choose Jimmy Carter’s funeral to announce her divorce. Let’s be sensible here,’ one person wrote.
Another agreed, ‘Michelle Obama is in mourning/grieving the loss of her mom… On top of her not being a political figure and you all believe a TikTok about her and Barack getting a divorce because she missed a funeral and won’t attend a felon’s inauguration.’
The couple, who first met in 1989 when they both worked at a law firm in Chicago, married in 1992.
They welcomed their first daughter, Malia, six years later in 1998, and their second daughter, Sasha, in 2001.
However, some political fans are worried that there might be trouble in paradise for the two of them, and are taking to X to share their thoughts
However, although they’ve had a long-lasting marriage, the two have not shied away from sharing their struggles.
When they first had children, the couple would quarrel over Barack’s six-hour round trip commute to work at the Illinois Senate – also spending days away at a time due to his job.
In his 2020 memoir ‘A Promised Land’, Barack recalling an exhausted Michelle telling him on one occasion: ‘This isn’t what I signed up for, Barack. I feel like I’m doing it all by myself.’
At first, Michelle was resistant to Barack running for President, but warmed to the idea after she realized the enormous impact he could have on young, Black children across the nation.
While they were in the White House for eight years, they argued by continued to persevere with their marriage.
Barack recalled in his book an ‘undercurrent of tension’ in his wife during their early years in the White House, which he said was ‘subtle but constant.’
But after his two term Presidency ended in 2017, the couple were able to get back to their relationship and enjoy each other’s company once again.
In his book, Barack wrote that they spent a lot of time ‘replenishing their friendship’ and ‘rediscovering their love’ after leaving the White House in 2017.
‘We slept late, ate leisurely dinners, went for long walks, swam in the ocean, took stock, and planned for a less eventful but hopefully no less satisfying second act,’ he wrote.
On her podcast ‘The Light’, Michelle even recalled wanting to ‘push Barack out of the window’ on numerous occasions, but added that she was glad she ‘didn’t quit’ on her husband.
‘You’ve got to know that there are going to be times, long periods of time, when you can’t stand each other,’ she told listeners.
‘The feelings will be intense. But that doesn’t mean you quit and these periods can last a long time – they can last years.
‘[Me and Barack] have a very strong marriage. If I had given up on it, if I had walked away from it, in those tough times, then I would’ve missed all the beauty that was there as well.’
