Michelle Obama publicly pushed back against ongoing speculation surrounding her marriage to former President Barack Obama, stating during a podcast appearance that "everybody would know" if the couple were facing serious issues. The comments came during her interview on "The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett," where she was joined by her brother, Craig Robinson.
"He would know it," Michelle said, referring to Robinson. "And everybody would know it." She added, "I'm not a martyr. I would be problem solving in public. 'Let me tell you what he did.'"
Her brother quipped in response, "If they were having a problem, I would be doing a podcast with him."
Michelle, 61, and Barack, 63, have been married since 1992 and share two daughters, Malia and Sasha. "That's not who we are," she said of the rumors. "And I know that about him. He knows that about me."
Speculation over their relationship gained traction after Michelle did not attend President Jimmy Carter's funeral or Donald Trump's second inauguration, both of which Barack attended alone. Michelle addressed her absences in the same interview, explaining, "I think I just told myself, 'I think I've done enough of that,' and if I haven't, then I never will."
She had previously elaborated on her decision to withdraw from certain public duties during an episode of Sophia Bush's "Work in Progress" podcast. "That's the thing that we as women, I think...we struggle with disappointing people," she said. "So much so that this year people were...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."
The former first lady added, "This couldn't be a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself, right?"
Meanwhile, conservative commentator Tucker Carlson fueled further speculation in an interview on "The Megyn Kelly Show," where he claimed Michelle Obama "really dislikes her husband" and appeared "miserable." He added, "Her hostility toward the guy is unbelievable."
Kelly echoed that view, stating, "Everything she says is negative."
Carlson, who has been married for 33 years, argued the Obamas have been pulled in different directions since leaving the White House. "They sort of miss the point, which is in a normal life, your marriage is the core of everything," he said.
In a separate interview last month with Hamilton College President Steven Tepper, Barack Obama acknowledged that his presidency strained the marriage. "I was in a deep deficit with my wife. So I have been trying to dig myself out of that hole by doing occasionally fun things," he said.
While an anonymous source quoted by RadarOnline.com claimed the Obamas are no longer trying to present themselves as "this magical couple," Michelle's public statements continue to reject the idea that the marriage is in crisis.
