Michelle Obama's Shady Remark About Barack Is Not Helping Their Divorce Episode Stunt

Ever since Michelle Obama refused to step out with husband Barack Obama to some high profile events, the duo have been unable to bat away divorce rumors. For her part, the former first lady has been having a mixed time of setting the record straight, with Michelle accidentally confirming the Barack divorce rumors have merit. Even when she and Barack are in the same room together, Michelle's body language seems to signal that divorce might be on the table. As much as Michelle has discussed how she had to put her life on the back burner to pave the way for Barack's career to take center stage, there still seems to be some sticky feelings around the past.

In July of 2025, on her "IMO" podcast, Michelle and her brother Craig Robinson interviewed singer Victoria Monét, and the conversation spanned many things — from motherhood to resentments to a harsh joke Michelle made at Barack's expense. While Monét was discussing her mixed feelings around her own personal ambition, Michelle brought up an anecdote about when she first heard Barack float the idea of wanting to become president. "It's like, 'no, you might want to keep that to yourself, honey,'" Michelle quipped. 

While it's not a stretch to see that Michelle was trying to compare Monét's dreams of becoming a star and Barack's dreams of being the nation's leader as both seemingly impossible yet ultimately came true, it still felt a little snarky. Possibly indicating that there's still room for the divorce rumors to play in, despite their insistence that nothing is going on.

There have been several times Michelle Obama has fired back against rumors she and Barack Obama are getting divorced. It seems as if every time Michelle calmly explains to the masses that choosing herself is an incredibly normal thing to do, especially in a decades-long relationship, people still can't let it go. However, it could simply be that Michelle's handling of these rumors is proof she's done caring about her public perception — especially when she was so heavily criticized during the time she and Barack spent in the White House, which might be why she made such a pointed joke about Barack's ambitions.

According to the Daily Beast, Barack himself has mentioned that he has been in "a deep deficit," with Michelle, admitting that his career took a toll on his family — mostly for all the right reasons, but still a toll nonetheless. It's clear that the two are still committed to each other and are able to joke about the ongoing rumors, like when Barack was a guest on the "IMO" podcast and Michelle mentioned enjoying having Barack in the room with them, since "When we aren't [together], folks think we're divorced."

Regardless of what's going on behind the scenes or what might have happened in the past, it does appear as if the Obamas still enjoy being around each other — even if it means having to make jokes about divorce rumors.