Michelle Obama Hints She Struggled Parenting Two Daughters With Husband Barack — As 'Divorce of The Century' Rumors Ramp Up
Michelle Obama has appeared to diss husband Barack amid divorce rumors.
Oct. 15 2025, Published 3:55 p.m. ET
Michelle Obama has appeared to throw shade at husband Barack's parenting while he was the president, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
During the latest episode of her IMO podcast with her brother Craig Robinson, the former first lady raised eyebrows when she commented on how politics can easily "suck the life out" of parenting during a discussion with guests Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes.
Parenting Over Politics Debate
Michelle agreed with her guest that parenting duties 'absolutely' come before career goals.
While Jackson and Barnes enjoyed successful careers in the NBA, the latter confessed a career in politics interested him as well.
Michelle asked Barnes: "Do you think you might get into politics?"
Barnes replied, "I could, I love politics" before nothing his passion for legislation aimed at supporting low-income areas and an initial goal of becoming mayor of his hometown before he turned 50.
But the former Golden State Warriors player was quick to clarify while he was intrigued with public service, he was concerned about how a high-stress job in politics would impact his ability to be a well-rounded father.
Michelle appeared to diss Barack as she noted 'politics will suck the life out' of parenting.
He told the mother-of-two: "I have a six-year-old and 11-month-old (and) 16-year-old twins. So daddy duty is first and foremost."
Michelle appeared to appreciate Barnes drawing a hard line on his priorities, even when it came to his own career goals and aspirations.
She proceeded to agree with Barnes about "daddy duty" coming first with an enthusiastic, "Absolutely," before adding: "Politics will suck the life out of that."
Divorce Rumors Swirl
Michelle has openly discussed her marriage issues since leaving the White House.
This isn't the first time Michelle has made comments or openly discussed how being living in the White House for nearly 10 years impacted not only her mental health, but her marriage and her children as well.
Michelle and Barack tied the knot in October 1992 and share two daughters together, Malia, 27, and Sasha, 24.
During an appearance on the Sibling Revelry podcast, Michelle opened up about raising two girls in the spotlight and admitte d they also went through a "push away" phase as teens.
In earlier IMO episodes, Michelle candidly discussed going back to therapy to reconnect with herself after Barack left office.
She also noted how going back to therapy helped her make decisions based on what she wanted post-presidency, including declining to attend back-to-back high-profile Washington D.C. events – former President Jimmy Carter's funeral and Donald Trump's inauguration – with Barack, which fueled rumors about their marriage.
Barack Confesses to Being in 'Deep Deficit' With Michelle
Barack admitted he left office in a 'deep deficit' to Michelle during a recent podcast appearance.
Rumors continued to swirl about Barack and Michelle allegedly living separate lives while quietly working out "the divorce of the century" behind closed doors.
As RadarOnline.com reported, Barack confessed he left office with a "deep deficit" in his marriage during an appearance on Marc Maron's final WTF podcast episode.
Michelle has also addressed divorce rumors on her podcast.
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She said in July: "There hasn't been one moment in our marriage where I thought about quitting my man.
"And we've had some really hard times. So, we had a lot of fun times, a lot of adventures, and I have become a better person because of the man I'm married to."
