Michelle Obama Speaks Out About Brutal Injury Husband Barack Suffered Before Major Speech — 'He Needed Like 30-Something Stitches'
Michelle Obama revealed a shocking 'I told you so' moment in her marriage to Barack Obama.
April 23 2025, Published 7:30 p.m. ET
Michelle Obama candidly opened up about her marriage with Barack and shared a shocking incident in which he suffered an injury requiring stitches before a major speech, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The former first lady described Barack's injury taking place in an "I told you so" moment.
Michelle said she 'made Barack put his basketball shoes up' after he was injured in a pick-up game at the White House.
The conversation took place during Michelle and brother Craig Robinson's IMO podcast with guest Tracee Ellis Ross.
Michelle, Robinson and Ross agreed "there's a lot you can learn about who a guy is or who a person is" based on their behavior on a basketball court.
The ex-first lady said men "let their guard down" on the court, to which Ross agreed "their character comes out."
Michelle said men 'let their guard down' on the basketball court.
Michelle then launched into a story about Barack's famous pick-up basketball games, which she said she insisted he stop after he "busted" his lip open.
She said: "I made Barack put his basketball shoes up once he got his lip busted when he was in the White House playing a pickup game.
"I don't think many people realized this because he was definitely in shape, athletic."
The 61-year-old then poked fun at her brother, adding: "And I remember – because you were at that pickup game."
Michelle said she always warned Barack to 'be careful playing basketball' but he didn't heed her advice.
She recalled being at the doctor's office "getting an exam" when she received a call from Secret Service agents saying there had "been an accident" at "one of the admin gyms."
Michelle continued: "I'm like, 'Ugh,' because I'm always like, 'Be careful playing basketball. You shouldn't be playing now. You now have a real important job. And literally, he's coming in with a gauze thing on his lip."
Ross appeared to be shocked at the story, saying: "What?!"
While Michelle claimed her husband needed '30-something stitches' the White House said he received 12.
The mother-of-two explained: "I mean, his lip was – I saw it. He took the thing away and I was like, 'Oh, your lip!' And he had some major speech.
"This was probably Saturday. He needed like 30-something stitches. He had some major speech on Monday, and I was, like, 'This is what I'm saying. You know, you're playing like you're 10 and now your lip is split.'"
She added: "So we digress."
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Since the episode dropped, Michelle has been accused of "embellishing" Barack's busted lip story.
While she claimed he needed "30-something stitches," Barack reportedly needed 12 stitches in 2010 following a basketball injury.
Then-White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement: "After being inadvertently hit with an opposing player's elbow in the lip while playing basketball with friends and family, the president received 12 stitches today administered by the White House medical unit.
"They were done in the doctor's office located on the ground floor of the White House."
Meanwhile, Michelle and Barack have been rocked by divorce rumors.
Michelle sparked concern after the former president attended back-to-back events in Washington D.C. solo, including Donald Trump's inauguration and former President Jimmy Carter's funeral.
The Becoming author recently claimed on her podcast that the "hard" choice to not attend Trump's inauguration was sparked by therapy and deciding to do what was "right" for her life.
