The Most Absurd Rumors About Michelle Obama
As a former First Lady, there are a lot of interesting things to know about Michelle Obama, as well as a lot of untruths. For example, she won a Grammy Award for her audiobook "Becoming," which secured the best spoken word album category in 2020. While she hasn't been First Lady since 2017, that isn't stopping people from talking about her.
It seems that the former First Lady isn't too bothered by the rumors, either past or present. As she told Harpers Bazaar in 2023, she's just trying to live her life and keep herself centered around her people and doing little things. These little things "can remind us of our capacity to build, create, and add value to our world," she told the outlet. "These days, my small task is knitting—sweaters, shirts, scarves, you name it. And while it might sound insignificant, knitting helps me to slow down and ground myself in something concrete."
What isn't concrete, though, is the slew of rumors that have followed Obama through the years. Here, we've rounded up some rumors about the former First Lady that range from interesting to ridiculous.
A rumor claimed she was taking over the democratic nomination for president
It shouldn't be surprising that one of former First Lady Michelle Obama's most recent rumors surrounds the 2024 Presidential Election — namely that she would replace incumbent President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee. In early January 2024, Obama appeared on the "On Purpose" podcast and spoke of her fears about the 2024 Presidential Election.
"Our leaders matter. Who we select, who speaks for us, who holds that bully pulpit — it affects us in ways that sometimes I think people take for granted," Obama told the host. "I am terrified about what could possibly happen." It seems the presidential run rumor started after the former First Lady's podcast interview came out. Technically, this rumor has not been proven definitively true or untrue — but we're banking on the latter.
Cindy Adams at the New York Post purported the rumor in mid-January 2024, citing Obama's podcast interview. She also claimed that, in Summer 2022, the former First Lady told several CEOs that she'd be running. However, even in May 2023, internet rumors were swirling of another Obama candidacy, and nothing came of those rumors either.
One rumor suggests the former first lady is actually a man
During Barack Obama's presidency, then-First Lady Michelle Obama was alleged to either be a man or a transgender woman. There is little indication as to when the rumor actually started, but it resurfaced in 2023 when Republican California Congressional candidate Omar Navarro tweeted about it. Back in 2017, Alex Jones claimed to have proof that Michelle was a man.
Per the Independent, Jones at the time said: "Since the early days of the Obama administration, citizens across the board have studied videos and photos of Michelle Obama and said that she is a man. And even [Barack] Obama has called her over and over again Michael. But new shock footage has emerged that is being censored off the internet as fast as you can upload it." The outlet noted that the so-called proof Jones had were photos of Michelle in pleated dresses or pants that he claimed showed visible male genitalia.
Doubling down on the Michael is Michelle rumor, doctored images started circulating in 2020. These images presented side-by-side showed Barack and Michelle by a Christmas tree; however, in one of the images, Michelle's face had been altered to show more masculine features. Reuters has dubbed this disparaging rumor false.
A rumor suggested she was arrested for domestic violence charges
In January 2018, a website called The Patriot Post published an article accusing then-First Lady Michelle Obama of being arrested for domestic abuse. The since-deleted article indicated that the DC Metro police received a phone call from a child who reported that Michelle was "unpredictably violent" (via Snopes). According to the outlet, the article also said she was taken away in handcuffs.
Snopes reported that the day after the article appeared on Patriot Post, a follow-up showed up on a site called Reagan Was Right. In that article, which has also been deleted, Michelle was sent home without charges filed. The article also indicated that an insider told the website that police and Secret Service agents had to protect Barack, who was "bleeding pretty steadily" as Michelle was loaded into a police car.
Although both reports were fabricated falsehoods, that didn't stop social media users from picking up the story and running with it. One YouTube video covering the rumored incident garnered nearly 100,000 views.