


Michelle Obama was quite the multitaker on Wednesday’s episode of actor Sophia Bush’s podcast, “Work in Progress.”
At one point in her interview with the “One Tree Hill” star, the former first lady did double-duty by addressing divorce rumors while also making a valid point about unfair expectations placed on women.
Nearly nine minutes into the iLoveRadio podcast, Obama was in the midst of discussing how her life has changed now that her daughters — 26-year-old Malia and 23-year-old Sasha — have fled the nest, when she revealed her favorite part of being an empty nester.

“[Life] is whatever I want, Sophia, It’s whatever I want,” Obama, 61, responded in a sing-songy, euphoric voice. “It’s the first time in my life all of my choices are for me.”
Obama went on to explain how being a mother and a public figure limited her decision-making in the past — and that she constantly put her husband’s career and her kids’ needs before her own.
Now that this phase in life is over, Obama says she now only makes decisions based on her needs. But she also admitted that because she’s a woman, she initially struggled giving herself “freedom” to make decisions in her best self interest.
“The interesting thing is that, when I say ‘no,’ for the most part people are like, ‘I get it.’ And I’m OK,’” Obama said.
At this point, Obama’s tone noticeably shifts from friendly to stern while describing a recent example from her life in which she made a decision and it was perceived negatively by the public.
“That’s the thing that we as women, I think … we struggle with disappointing people. I mean, so much so, that this year people were … 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.”

Although Obama never clarified what decision she made that sparked the divorce rumors, her absence at President Trump’s inauguration and President Jimmy Carter’s funeral did garner enough speculation to make headlines — especially when her husband, former President Barack Obama attended both events.
In January, Vanity Fair also reported that the Obama-split rumors could be due to a story In Touch Weekly that claimed actor Jennifer Aniston was trying to steal Barack away from Michelle — although Aniston publicly debunked the rumor.
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Due to these factors, Wednesday was by no means the first time the “Becoming” author has attempted to shut down the gossip mill in regards to her marriage.
On Valentine’s Day earlier this year, Michelle made it clear that she and her husband of over 30 years have no plans to break up any time soon.
“If there’s one person I can always count on, it’s you, @BarackObama,” she wrote. “You’re my rock. Always have been. Always will be. Happy Valentine’s Day, honey! ❤️”