Former first lady Michelle Obama is sharing more details about her relationship with her husband, former President Barack Obama, and something she recently revealed on her podcast has folks talking.
Former first lady Michelle Obama is opening up about her marriage to Barack Obama, and one moment from her podcast has people doing a double take.
During a recent episode of the “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson,” the conversation turned to the rough patches couples sometimes struggle to survive.
The Obamas, who have been married for 33 years, remain one of politics’ most admired pairs, but Michelle’s candid confession has listeners reading between the lines.
Married actors Sterling K. Brown and Ryan Michelle Bathe joined the Obamas for a discussion about the ups and downs of married life when Brown asked a blunt question.
“If kids were not a part of the equation, in terms of like, do you think that some of the tough times may have led to a separation that didn’t?” he asked Barack’s wife about 30 minutes into the conversation.
Michelle admitted there have been hard times. She said having kids was sometimes the root of her and Barack’s past relationship struggles. The couple has two daughters, 27-year-old Malia and 24-year-old Sasha. Both work in the entertainment industry and live in Los Angeles.
“Here’s what I think,” she replied. “Sometimes, without kids, some of the tough times wouldn’t happen. Right? And this is why I say, Look, it’s great when it’s just you two, you know, and because there really isn’t any challenges with the division of labor. Because everybody can be their own individual people. You go off, do your movie, yay. We have our separate lives, and then it’s romantic. We get back together.”
Michelle added that things were hard with Barack when it came to helping with raising their kids, which became a joint project involving the girls and their needs.
“So I think a lot of our hard was because of the kids, who we love deeply,” she said. “But I think without it, without them, you know, a lot of the hard things don’t come up, right? ‘Cause you could, you can go to the gym all you want, when there are no diapers to be changed, you know, you can do whatever you want.”
Obama continued, “Whose driving? Do you know how to make a dental appointment? Do you know where they go to their doctor? Do you know their doctor’s name?”
Fans reacted to the podcast, and many loved the candor between Michelle, her brother, and their guests as the interview left everyone saying the same thing. One YouTuber responded, “Nonstop smiles from this interview. Thank you all for being so real.”
Another social media user said, “This interview so touched me! I love Michelle and her brother so much, and to see Sterling and Michelle there, OMG, it was like listening and watching family. I just loved this so much!”
The best decision I ever made was marrying you, @MichelleObama. For 33 years, I’ve admired your strength, grace, and determination — and the fact that you look so good doing it all. Happy anniversary! pic.twitter.com/YoV098JDS5
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 3, 2025
A third noted, “This entire podcast is speaking to me, my life…. 17 years with my husband…. and the bars dropped here….WOW.”
The former president also spoke about his marriage during an appearance on the “No Lie” podcast with Brian Tyler Cohen, and he shared another possible reason the couple may have struggled in the past. When asked if he would run again for president, he said, “I believe in my marriage, and Michelle would divorce me if I could run again.”
Michelle Obama added during the “IMO” podcast that her marriage with Barack has gotten stronger over time.
“And look, the level of muscle that Barack and I have in our marriage is earned. It’s earned over time and it’s only gotten better,” she said. “And I think that’s the point. And then if you quit too soon, you rob yourself of the success of the better, the work that goes in. And we’ve been married 30 years, we’re healthy people, we could be married for another 30 years. That’s a long time. And it could be 30 years of absolute bliss, because we’ve done the work.”
Michelle and Barack were married in 1992. The two have openly spoken about their life after surviving two terms in the White House as the first Black family.
But revealing their bedroom issues, as well as Barack’s 10-year absence as a dad and other challenges in their marriage, has become a sore point for supporters of the couple who wish they hadn’t revealed so much of what goes on behind closed doors.
