On Thursday, April 3, former President Barack Obama sat down for a conversation with Hamilton College President Steven Tepper. Obama, 63, opened up about his private life with his wife, Michelle. He shared that after leaving the Oval Office, after serving two terms, he found himself “in a deep deficit with my wife.” He added, “So, I have been trying to dig myself out of that hole by doing occasionally fun things.”
Opening Up About Marital Issues
Barack Obama and Michelle have been married for 33 years, tying the knot in 1992. He and Michelle, 61, have two daughters, Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23. This is not the first time that the Obamas have been open about how 8 years in the White House strained their marriage. Back in late 2022, Michelle spoke openly about her marriage. At the time, she shared that there was a decade during their marriage when “she couldn’t stand” her husband.
“People think I’m being catty by saying this — it’s like, there were 10 years where I couldn’t stand my husband,” she said during an interview with Revolt TV. “And guess when it happened? When those kids were little.”
Raising Children In the White House
In May 2023, while appearing on CBS Mornings, Barack Obama was asked about his wife’s remarks. He replied, “Let me just say this: it sure helps to be out of the White House. And to have a little more time with her.”
“Michelle — when our girls were growing up, that was priority number one, two, three, and four,” Barack Obama added. “And so, I did not fully appreciate, I think, as engaged of a father as I was, the degree of stress and tension for her, knowing that not just me and Michelle were under scrutiny and in this strange environment but that we were raising our daughters in a kind of situation that just wasn’t normal.”
Michelle Talks About Marriage in New Book
Around the time that Michelle’s book, “Becoming,” was released, she sat down for an interview with People Magazine. At the time, she said she and Barack Obama had once seen a marriage counselor. “There were definitely times when I wished things were different… But I don’t think I ever thought, ‘I’m just checking out of this,’” Michelle said.
Michelle recently told her brother, Craig Robinson, during a discussion at SXSW exactly how she and Barack managed to stay “sane” with all the gossip and rumors that surrounded them during their time in the White House and since they returned to civilian life.“Through it all, what kept us sane — and we tried to instill this in our daughters — is, you cannot live through social media,” she said. “I don’t think I have ever once looked at a comment section, period.”
The Obamas Have Had to Deal With Crazy Rumors
The Obamas, who still live in D.C., were bombarded with a crazy rumor that their marriage was on the rocks because Barack was having a secret affair with actress Jennifer Aniston. The right-wing media had a field day with the rumor, especially after Barack attended the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter and Donald Trump’s inauguration alone. The Obamas attempted to silence the wild rumors by using social media to share selfies and posting loving messages on Valentine’s Day.
Barack Obama released his memoir, “A Promised Land,” in 2020, and in it he wrote that he “was smitten almost from the second I saw her.” While speaking at the college event on Thursday, Obama broke his silence on Donald Trump’s presidency. He slammed his successor’s attempts to attack law firms and the free press.
Barack Obama also called out the lack of pushback Trump is getting. “It’s unimaginable that the same parties that are silent now would have tolerated behavior like that from me or a whole bunch of my predecessors,” he said.
