Michelle Obama's 'Kind' Birthday Tribute to Husband Barack Mocked by Critics — 'You're Usually Bashing Him'

Michelle Obama has been mocked by critics after posting a loved-up 65th birthday tribute to Barack Obama, despite previously making candid comments about their marriage that helped ignite divorce rumors, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

The former first lady, 62, took to Instagram to share a cozy snap of the couple cuddled up together, with Michelle gazing at her husband as she rested close against his shoulder and the pair clasped hands.

"Happy birthday, @BarackObama! 65 never looked better. Every day, you make me a better person, and I’m thankful for all the ways you show up for our family and our country. Love you," Michelle gushed in the caption.

Barack responded in the comments, "Love you, Miche! Thanks everybody for all the birthday wishes."

While the comments on her post featured fans cheering on the former president and telling them how much they missed him as Commander-in-Chief, others on social media were surprised by his wife being so publicly adoring.

"I'm shocked by the kind words you have for him. All I hear from you is complaints about him," one user on X wrote.

"You're usually bashing him," a second person snarked with a series of laughing emojis.

A third user asked, "You don't tell him that in person?"

Michelle complained about Barack in 2022, saying, "There were 10 years where I couldn't stand my husband."

She went on to sneer that "Marriage isn't 50/50, ever, ever," and that she decided to stick things out in the bad times while looking for balance.

"There are times I'm 70, he's 30. There are times he's 60, 40, but guess what? 10 years – we've been married 30. I would take 10 bad years over 30 — it's just how you look at it. And people give up... 'Five years; I can't take it,'" she mocked those who call it quits when things get tough.

Michelle sparked speculation about a split when she skipped two high-profile Washington, D.C., events in January 2025: former President Jimmy Carter's funeral and President Donald Trump's inauguration, while all the other living presidents had their wives by their sides for both occasions.

The Becoming author went on to explain that she makes her own decisions these days and was shocked by the backlash for not attending significant events with her husband.

"I get to look at my calendar, which I did this year, with a real big example of me, myself, looking at something that I was supposed to do – 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 shared during an April 2025 appearance on Sophia Bush's Work in Progress podcast.

"People couldn't even imagine that I was making a choice for myself. They automatically assumed my husband and I were divorcing," Michelle huffed. "Now I operate this way. After consideration, I am trying to manage my own schedule. I choose to do what is best for me, not what I have to do or what others expect from me. For the first time in my life, all my choices belong to me."

Barack himself joked about the split rumors while appearing on his wife's IMO podcast in July 2025, sharing, "She took me back! It was touch and go for a while."