Michelle Obama has dismissed rumors of a divorce from former President Barack Obama, attributing the speculation to her decision to embrace more independence.
Speaking on Sophia Bush’s “Work in Progress” podcast, the former first lady, 61, addressed the gossip that intensified after she skipped several major events earlier this year, including Donald Trump’s inauguration.
“The interesting thing is that, when I say ‘no,’ for the most part people are like, ‘I get it, and I’m OK,’” the mom of two said of her decision to turn down key invitations, as reported by the New York Post.
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“And that’s the thing that we as women struggle with — disappointing people,” she continued. “So much so that people, they couldn’t even fathom that I was making a choice for myself, that they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing.”
Michelle brushed off rumors of a split from Barack Obama, expressing disbelief that some found it hard to accept she was simply “a grown woman making decisions for herself.”
“But that’s what society does to us,” she said. “We actually finally start going, ‘What am I doing? Who am I doing this for?’ And if it doesn’t fit into the sort of stereotype of what people think we should do, then it gets labeled as something negative and horrible.”
Speculation about trouble in the Obamas’ marriage intensified after Barack attended major events—like Trump’s inauguration and Jimmy Carter’s funeral—without Michelle.
While rumors swirled, it emerged that Michelle was vacationing in Hawaii and deliberately skipped the swearing-in to avoid fake pleasantries.
She later explained that with their daughters grown and the White House years behind them, she now has more freedom to control her own schedule.
“I get to look at my calendar, which I did this year. It was a real big example of me, myself, looking at something that I was supposed to do, you know, without naming names, and I chose to do what was best for me,” she said.
“Not what I had to do, not what other people wanted me to do, and between you and me, that was an important test for me just as a woman, as an independent person. Because, like all women, I operate from guilt.”
She added, too, that it was “time to make some big girl decisions” in her life — and “own it fully.”
“Now is the time for me to start asking myself these hard questions of, ‘Who do I truly want to be every day?’ And that changes,” Michelle said.
“So, who do I want to have a lunch with? How long do I want to stay in a place? Do I want to travel? If a girlfriend calls and says, ‘Let’s go here,’ I can say ‘Yes!’ I can. And I’m trying to do that more and more.”
“So what does it look like? It looks like whatever I want it to look like. And I still find time to give speeches, to be out there in the world, to work on projects. I still care about girls’ education,” the ex-first lady added.
