‘Don’t Make Me Cry’: Barack and Michelle Obama Address Divorce Rumors

Barack and Michelle Obama have once again publicly addressed persistent rumors surrounding the state of their relationship.

In a new episode of the podcast “IMO with Michelle and Craig,” posted to YouTube on July 16, 2025, Barack was a guest on the show hosted by Michelle and her brother, Craig Robinson.

At the start of the episode, as Barack entered the room and Michelle embraced him, Craig jokingly feigned surprise and asked, “Wait, you guys like each other?”

Michelle then said “Oh yeah. That’s the rumor mill. It’s my husband, y’all!” Barack quipped that “She took me back,” prompting Michelle to tell him “Now, don’t start.”

Craig then noted how nice it was to have them both in a room together, to which Michelle replied that when they aren’t in a room together, “folks think we’re divorced.”

This prompted her brother to share a story about a woman who approached him in Wichita, Kansas for a picture. Once she got up close to him, Craig said she asked him “What did he do?” referring to the former president.

Michelle erupted in laughter, and Barack said that “you knew she was going to say, ‘What — How did he… (…) You knew it wasn’t ‘What happened to him? That’s so terrible.’ It was, ‘How’d he mess up?’

Craig continued the story: “(…) I said, ‘Well, what makes you think he messed up? Why couldn’t it have been her?'” to which Michelle asked, “Why didn’t you just say no one messed up?”

Craig answered that he wanted to keep the conversation going so he could tell the couple about it.

Craig continued:

“I was like, ‘What? What? What?’ And she was like, ‘He did something, didn’t he?’ I was like, ‘Don’t worry, everything’s fine.’ And let me tell you, she was so happy. You would have thought I gave her a Christmas gift”

Barack then noted that he often misses these types of rumors, and is later confused when they escalate. Michelle then explained that her commitment to her husband has never wavered:

“There hasn’t been one moment in our marriage where I thought about quitting my man. And we’ve had some really hard times. But we’ve also had a lot of fun times, a lot of adventures. And I’ve become a better person because of the man I’m married to.”

Her words touched Barack. “Okay, don’t — don’t make me cry now. Right at the beginning of the show. Don’t — don’t make me start tearing up now,” said the former president.

“Welcome to IMO. Get you all teared up. See, but this is why I can’t talk. See, you can take the hard stuff, but when I start talking about the sweet stuff, you’re like, ‘Stop! No, I can’t do it,’ Michelle fired back.

The rest of the episode maintained the warm tone, as Craig, Barack and Michelle shared laughs and discussed more serious issues.

Barack talked about growing up without a father, as well as the meaning of being a man, and how it has shifted over time. The trio also touched on parenting in the digital age, emotional intelligence, and many other topics.

This is far from the first time that the Obamas have faced baseless speculation about a supposed incoming split.

Earlier this year, Michelle was seen flashing her wedding ring while out and about in Los Angeles, only days after addressing rumors that she and her husband, Barack Obama, were headed for divorce.

The former first lady, 61, stepped out on April 20, accompanied by her brother and new podcast co-host Craig Robinson, with her diamond bands clearly on display.

Her appearance came after she addressed growing speculation about her marriage on the April 9 episode of the podcast “Work in Progress,” saying, “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.”

A month later, in May, Michelle took the chance to open up more. During a podcast chat on “The Diary Of A CEO” on May 1, 2025, the Chicago native shared that while many admire her relationship with Barack, they too face hard moments. Still, she wouldn’t give up what they have, saying:

“He is, as the young people say, he is my person.”

Michelle also spoke honestly about feeling overlooked and frustrated at times. Yet, she explained what keeps them strong:

“The beauty of my husband and our partnership is that, neither one of us was ever really going to quit at it because that’s not who we are and I know that about him. He knows that about me.”

After opening up about the emotional layers of her relationship, Michelle added another personal detail just days later — this time, from her daily life with Barack.

During a May 13, 2025, appearance on “Good Hang with Amy Poehler,” she shared bits of their evening routine. Michelle described herself as someone who gets sleepy early, while her husband prefers staying up late.

She mentioned they usually eat dinner around 6:30 p.m. When hosting guests, she can stay lively and chatty. But when it’s just the two of them, once they’ve had their talk, she often hints that she’s ready for bed. Barack, caught off guard, might respond, “Really? It’s 08:00,” to which she would reply, “It’s not you, it’s me.”

From sharing their dinner habits to bedtime quirks, Michelle didn’t hold back on the little things that shape their life together — right down to the thermostat wars. “It’s a battle with a partner,” Michelle said, pointing out how Barack always feels cold. She often tells him to stay away from the thermostat.

Some nights, she wakes up feeling hot and questions whether he changed the setting. “He’s like, ‘I didn’t. I swear to God,'” she recalled. With a laugh, the attorney added that her husband now knows better — he’s even afraid to go near it.

After giving a glimpse into their nighttime routines and lighthearted thermostat debates, Michelle offered another peek into the fun side of their household dynamic. She explained that in their family, teasing is a way to show love. Barack and her brother Craig Robinson often claim she doesn’t let them joke around with her.

“See, we have a deal, Barack and I in our marriage, and it started very early. It’s like, I can tease you, but you cannot tease me,” Michelle said and he confirmed this once. Though Barack enjoys playful banter, she noted he rarely wins at home — especially with their daughters, Malia and Sasha Obama, who team up to tease him without mercy.

That playful teasing at home is only one part of the deep bond Michelle shares with Barack — a connection that has grown stronger over the years.

But their journey didn’t start off smoothly in everyone’s eyes. During their “IMO” podcast on April 16, 2025, Michelle’s brother, Robinson, admitted he had doubts early on. “I’m thinking to myself that it’s going to last about a month,” he said, recalling his first thoughts when they began dating.

When Michelle brought Barack home for the first time, their mother’s reaction was lighthearted. “‘Ooh, at least he’s tall,'” she said, which was the very first thing she noticed, according to Robinson. Still, he wasn’t convinced the relationship would go far.

At Michelle’s request, Robinson agreed to play basketball with Barack — something their father believed revealed a person’s true nature. After that game, which they enjoyed, Robinson saw Barack in a new light.

He noticed that Barack worked well with others, didn’t try to show off, and blended in with the group. That impression stayed with him, and he made sure to tell his sister what he saw.

The couple’s relationship only deepened from there. The two have been married for more than thirty years.