Former first lady Michelle Obama has hit back at rumors she and husband Barack are headed for divorce, blaming the rampant speculation on her decision to exercise her newfound independence.
The 61-year-old broke her silence on Sophia Bush’s “Work in Progress” podcast Wednesday after the Obamas were dogged by gossip that their marriage was on the rocks when she opted to skip several high-profile events earlier this year — including President 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.
“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 scoffed at widespread speculation they’d had called it quits on their three-decade union, noting that it was unbelievable to some that she could possibly be “a grown woman just making a set of 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.”
Rumors of a rift between the Obamas exploded in January after the former president showed up to Trump’s inauguration and President Jimmy Carter’s funeral without his wife by his side.
As the gossip mill went into overdrive, it was revealed that Michelle was on an extended break in Hawaii when the funeral was held, and that she opted out of Trump’s swearing-in to avoid fake pleasantries.
Michelle acknowledged she is now more in control of her calendar since she’s no longer tied to the White House and the couple’s two daughters — Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23 — have flown the coup.
“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.
