Michelle Obama reveals Barack Obama’s worst habit, stress of White House years on new podcast IMO
Former first lady Michelle Obama has opened up on the difficulties she faced during husband Barack’s presidency, as she shared her biggest marital pet peeve.
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Michelle Obama has revealed her biggest pet peeve in her marriage, as she opened up about how hard it was when Barack Obama first entered the White House.
The former first lady, chatting to her brother Craig Robinson on their new podcast IMO, said her first reaction was “no way”, when she learned that husband Barack was running for the presidency.
“I couldn’t have gotten through eight years in the White House without my big brother,” Michelle said, referring to Craig, executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
“Being married to the president of the United States [is a] thing that none of us kind of banked on,” she said.
“We knew Barack was smart and ambitious, but, you know,” she went on. “You talked me into supporting his run,” she said, referring to Craig.
Michelle also told the podcast how Barack Obama’s lack of punctuality has irked her throughout their marriage.
Mr Robinson joked that Barack’s laid-back nature was due to his Hawaiian upbringing and that the former US president was operating on “island time”.
Reflecting on their marriage, Michelle told how “when it’s time to leave,” she would notice her husband “getting up and going to the bathroom,” and doing other things that result in the couple being late.
“I was like, ‘Dude, a 3 o’clock departure means you’ve done all that,’ you know, it’s like, don’t start looking for your glasses at the 3 o’clock departure,” Michelle said.
However, she admitted that her husband had worked to better his timekeeping, saying, “He’s improved over 30 years of marriage, but that was a ‘you must adjust.’”
Michelle said the couple’s daughters, Malia and Sasha, know their mother always likes to be on time and always ensure they are early when they are with her.
“They’ve learned how to snap to it,” Michelle said of her adult children, now aged 26 and 23.
It comes amid rumours that the pair’s marriage is troubled, with Barack Obama making several high-profile solo appearances over the last few months.
Michelle did not attend former US president Jimmy Carter’s funeral in early January because she was on holiday.
Barack later went to a private dinner in DC alone before attending US President Trump’s inauguration solo — the only former US president without his spouse at the ceremony.
A source told Page Six in January that Michelle has “checked out” of her life in Washington, DC, as she is “fed up with the political circus” and “pretending everything is OK with Barack all the time.”
“They don’t pretend that they have this Camelot relationship. They’re not trying to present that they’re this magical couple,” another source who worked with the pair told Page Six at the time.
A source at the time of Mr Trump’s inauguration told Page Six that Michelle’s absence had to do with her dislike of the US President, adding that she is not “phony”.
Despite the marital rumours, the Obamas have recently shared loving posts to mark personal milestones.
Barack shared a loving Instagram post on Valentine’s Day saying, “Thirty-two years together and you still take my breath away.”
His wife returned the sweet gesture by writing, “You’re my rock. Always have been. Always will be.”
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