Michelle Obama’s clapback on divorce rumours has netizens cheering: ‘I chose to do what was best for me'
Michelle Obama just delivered a powerful message about self-care, boundaries and choosing herself
Former First Lady Michelle Obama has once again proven that she is a force to be reckoned with, addressing her noticeable absence from political events and her relationship with former President of the United States The rumour mill has been churning hard the past few months, putting two and two together and Michelle took to the Work in Progress podcast with actor Sophia Bush to shut it down once and for all.
In the candid conversation, Michelle opened up about her life in the eight years since she and her family left the White House. With two adult children, she shared how her role as a mother had always been central to her decisions, even if it meant putting her own needs aside. “I could have made a lot of these decisions years ago, but I didn’t give myself that freedom,” she said. “Maybe even as much as I let my kids live their own lives, I use their lives as an excuse for why I couldn’t do something.”
Now, with her children grown, Michelle emphasised on the newfound freedom she has to prioritise herself. “And now that’s gone. And so now I have to look at my, I get to look at my calendar, which I did this year, was a real big example of me, myself looking at something that I was supposed to do, you know, without naming names, and I chose to do what was best for me, not what I had to do, not what I thought other people wanted me to do.”
Michelle pointed out that she had chosen to skip events such as US President Donald Trump’s second inauguration and the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter in January. While her absence had sparked speculation, Michelle was quick to shut down any notions that her actions were tied to marital strife.
“I still find time to, you know, give speeches, to be out there in the world, to work on projects. I still care about girls’ education. We, you know, the library is opening in a year from now. Certain things I am and am not doing with the library,” she said. But as for those rumors of divorce? She had something to say about that too.
“That’s the thing that we as women, I think we struggle with, like disappointing people,” Michelle explained. “I mean, so much so that this year people were, you know, they couldn’t even fathom that I was making a choice for myself that they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing.” The message was clear: Michelle Obama is choosing herself, and there's no room for speculation.
Netizens react
As soon as Michelle shared her powerful words, the internet exploded with support, and it’s no surprise “Michelle Obama shutting down those rumors just shows how much pressure women face to meet expectations. Her words are powerful and so true about making choices for herself,” one user commented on X. Another added, “The way Michelle framed that hit so deep. Women constantly get judged for choosing themselves, like the only acceptable version of us is one that’s always ‘on’ for everyone else. Her absence wasn’t drama, it was a boundary. And people really need to stop equating rest or silence with chaos.” One user even said, “The way Michelle handled this… Iconic. No time for rumors when you’re out here living your best life,” while another pointed out: “They see a woman set boundaries and immediately scream ‘divorce’ like clockwork.”
And with that, Michelle is continuing to prove that sometimes, the best way to handle rumors is to just live your life and let your actions do the talking!
