Michelle Obama Opens Up About Personal Freedom, Marriage Rumors, and Public Scrutiny
Former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama has revealed a deeply personal perspective on her life after the White House, describing her current phase as one of newfound freedom.
Speaking on the July 9 episode of her popular podcast IMO, which she co-hosts with her brother Craig Rob
inson, Michelle Obama reflected on how life has changed in recent years. "This stage in life for me," she shared, "is the first time that I have been completely free."
Obama explained that she is now making decisions that are solely for herself — a shift from years of prioritizing her husband, former President Barack Obama, and their daughters. “Every choice that I make in my life is not about my husband, not about his career, not about what my kids need or where they're going — it's totally about me,” she said.
However, Obama admitted that exercising this autonomy often comes with a price. She said her decision to skip Donald Trump’s second inauguration drew public backlash and unwarranted speculation. "My decision to skip the inauguration – or my decision to make choices at the beginning of this year that suited me – were met with such ridicule and criticism," she said in a previous April episode. "People couldn't believe that I was saying no for any other reason. They had to assume that my marriage was falling apart."
During a separate conversation on the Work in Progress podcast with actress Sophia Bush, Obama elaborated on the challenges women face when asserting independence. "We as women, I think we struggle with disappointing people," she noted. "They couldn't even fathom that I was making a choice for myself... That this couldn't be a grown woman just making a set of decisions herself. But that's what society does to us."
Obama’s candid revelations underscore the pressures placed on women in the public eye — and reflect her ongoing efforts to redefine what it means to live authentically in the spotlight.