Barack and Michelle Obama spark speculation they are ‘heading for divorce’ amid notable public absences

By James On Jan 15, 2025

Could Barack and Michelle Obama be headed for divorce?

Some fans are starting to suspect that something is wrong in the former first couple’s marriage after news broke that Michelle would not be attending Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony with her husband.

“It has been confirmed that former President Barack Obama will attend the 60th Opening Ceremony. Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration,” Barack and Michelle Obama’s office told the Associated Press this week.

Michelle was also noticeably absent from former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral on January 9 due to a “scheduling conflict.”

These two major non-appearances have some fans of the political power couple concerned that there is trouble in paradise, with many taking to X to share their thoughts.

“I call it: the Obamas are getting divorced,” one person wrote.

Another wrote: “An Obama divorce wouldn’t be in my 2025 predictions, but it could happen.”

Could Barack and Michelle Obama be headed for divorce? Some fans believe it could be true

The former first lady was also noticeably absent from former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral on January 9 due to a ‘scheduling conflict’

One claimed: ‘Her and Obama are on the run!! They are getting divorced!!! She doesn’t want to be around him!!!’

“Sounds like an Obama divorce is coming, we’ve all seen it, they don’t stop at events together anymore,” another typed.

Another user also said: ‘I feel like the Obamas are about to get divorced..’

However, there were some who dismissed the rumor and instead suggested that Michelle was just making a political statement.

‘I don’t know anything about their marriage, but it is very clear to me that Michelle Obama is making a very specific *political* statement with these absences. She would never choose Jimmy Carter’s funeral to announce her divorce. Let’s be sensible,” one person wrote.

Another agreed: ‘Michelle Obama is grieving/mourning the loss of her mother… Plus she’s not a political figure and y’all believe a TikTok about her and Barack getting divorced because she missed a funeral and didn’t go to a funeral can go. the inauguration of a criminal.’

The couple, who first met in 1989 when they both worked at a law firm in Chicago, married in 1992.

They welcomed their first daughter, Malia, six years later in 1998, and their second daughter, Sasha, in 2001.

However, some political fans worry that there could be trouble in paradise for both of them, and go to X to share their thoughts.

However, despite having a long marriage, the two have not shied away from sharing their struggles.

When they first had children, the couple argued about Barack’s six-hour round trip to his job in the Illinois Senate, including being away for days at a time because of work.

In his 2020 memoir “A Promised Land,” Barack recalls that an exhausted Michelle once told him, “This isn’t what I signed up for, Barack.” It feels like I’m doing it all alone.’

Michelle was initially resistant to Barack running for president, but she became enthusiastic about the idea when she realized the enormous impact he could have on young black children across the country.

While in the White House for eight years, they argued that they should move forward with their marriage.

Barack recalled in his book an “undercurrent of tension” in his wife during their first years in the White House, which he said was “subtle but constant.”

But after his two-term presidency ended in 2017, the couple was able to resume their relationship and enjoy each other’s company again.

In his book, Barack wrote that they spent a lot of time “replenishing their friendship” and “rediscovering their love” after leaving the White House in 2017.

However, despite having a long marriage, the two have not shied away from sharing their struggles

When they first had children, the couple had a bit of an argument because Barack made a six-hour commute to work in the Illinois Senate, and was sometimes away for days because of his job.

“We slept late, ate leisurely dinners, took long walks, swam in the ocean, took stock and made plans for a less eventful but hopefully no less satisfying second act,” he wrote.

On her podcast “The Light,” Michelle even recalled wanting to “push Barack out the window” several times, but added that she was glad she “didn’t quit” with her husband.

“You have to know that there will be times, long periods of time, when you can’t stand each other,” she told listeners.

‘The feelings will be intense. But that doesn’t mean you stop and these periods can last a long time; they can last for years.

‘[Me and Barack] have a very strong marriage. If I had given up, if I had walked away from it, during those difficult times, I would have missed all the beauty that was there.’