Michelle Obama made a pointed statement Thursday as she appeared in Los Angeles wearing her wedding ring, countering speculation that she and former President Barack Obama are heading for divorce. The former first lady, 61, visited The Academy headquarters in North Hollywood with her brother and podcast co-host, Craig Robinson, flashing her diamond bands and smiling for cameras.
The public outing came days after Michelle directly addressed mounting rumors about her marriage during a recent interview on the "Work in Progress" podcast hosted by actress Sophia Bush. "That's the thing that we as women, I think we struggle with-disappointing people," Obama said. "So much so that this year people were, you know, 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."
Dressed in a $650 olive green cardigan by Nili Lotan, cargo pants, and a $3,700 Bottega Veneta leather tote, Obama appeared composed and upbeat, despite the recent media swirl. Though Barack was not present, she and Robinson seemed in good spirits as they walked with staffers outside the venue.
The Obamas, married since 1992, have not been seen together in public since December 2024, following their extensive campaign efforts for Vice President Kamala Harris. Michelle has kept a lower profile since then, leading to tabloid speculation that the couple was drifting apart. The rumors intensified after she missed both former President Jimmy Carter's funeral and Donald Trump's inauguration.
In the same podcast, Michelle explained her decision to skip public events as personal and unrelated to marital issues. "What am I doing? Who am I doing this for?" she asked. "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."
On her new podcast "Michelle Obama: The IMO," launched in March alongside her brother, she has spoken candidly about the difficulties of marriage. "Marriage is hard and it is reasonably hard, you know, it's the right kind of hard but don't get upset when it's hard," she told listeners in a recent episode.
Discussing her early relationship with Barack, Robinson recalled, "So Mich starts to date Barack, and we don't know who this guy is... I'm thinking it's gonna last a month like most of your relationships." Obama laughed at the remark but went on to stress that what sustained her marriage was a mutual commitment to honesty and growth.
"I dated people who were broken in that way," she said of past partners. "That's not fun to me, guessing whether my partner is faithful." She noted that she valued a partner who shared her integrity and refused to settle for anything less.
While emphasizing her independence and evolving personal priorities, Obama made it clear that her focus on self-fulfillment does not signal trouble at home. "If not now, when? What am I waiting for?" she asked. "Now is the time for me to start asking myself these hard questions of, 'Who do I truly want to be every day?'"
Michelle added that she remains committed to public service, but on her own terms. "I can say 'Yes!' to the things that nourish me," she said. "And I'm trying to do that more and more."
