Barack Obama dines without Michelle AGAIN... as key clues reveals the state of their marriage
Former President Barack Obama enjoyed some family time with his daughters in Los Angeles, but wife Michelle was nowhere to be seen.
Barack, 63, stepped out on Friday evening with daughters Malia and Sasha for dinner at Hamasaku, a Japanese-Californian spot in West Los Angeles.
The restaurant specializes in sushi and offers main courses as expensive as $35 caviar and $38 wagyu steaks.
Hamusaku is a favorite of the former first family, with a previous visit in 2022 making headlines after Obama's secret service detail parked in a handicap spot for hours while they dined.
Although the former president was not accompanied by Michelle, he wore his wedding ring amid unfounded rumors that their marriage is in turmoil.
It is not clear where Michelle spent her Friday evening, but the former First Lady took to Instagram on Saturday to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day with a picture of her buying some new literature.
Michelle previously brushed off divorce rumors, and earlier this month. she was also spotted out in Los Angeles with her wedding ring and diamond engagement ring on.
The couple were also seen on a romantic date night together just one week ago, where they dined at one of their favored Italian restaurants in Washington, DC.
Barack, 63, stepped out on Friday evening with daughters Malia and Sasha (not pictured) for dinner at Hamasaku, a Japanese-Californian spot in West Los Angeles
Their evening out in DC a week ago was seen as a show of unity by some observers, and the couple were reportedly met with cheers as they entered the building.
Rumors of a rift in the Obamas' marriage of 32 years were ignited in January when she declined to attend former President Jimmy Carter's funeral and sent Barack alone.
The couple went several months without being seen in public together, and in that time, Michelle also skipped President Trump's inauguration, again leaving her husband to go solo.
In an address to Hamilton College students a month ago, Barack fueled the rumor mill as he made light of the stress the presidency had on his marriage, saying he was in a ' deep deficit with my wife.'
'I have been trying to dig myself out of that hole by doing occasionally fun things,' he added.
Barack dined out with daughters Malia and Sasha on Friday evening, although the sisters were not pictured as their famous father arrived.
Despite spending their unorthodox childhoods in the White House, Barack admitted last year that his daughters have no plans to follow him into politics, and joked that Michelle 'drilled it into them' early on that they would be 'crazy to go into politics.'
After facing persistent questions over the state of their marriage - including bizarre gossip that Barack had a tryst with an A-list actress - Michelle addressed the speculation in a recent interview with Sophia Bush in her podcast Work in Progress.
'That's the thing that we as women, I think we struggle with disappointing people,' she said.
'So much so that this year people were, you know, 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,' Michelle said of skipping the inauguration.
'That this couldn't be a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself, right?'
Michelle has been back in the spotlight in recent times after launching her own podcast with brother Craig Robinson.
But in a recent episode this month, Michelle came under scrutiny as she tried to explain why she skipped Trump's inauguration.
After previously saying she did so 'for herself', Michelle said one of the primary reasons she didn't attend was because she 'didn't have anything to wear ', a surprise claim from a former occupant of the White House.
'I mean, cause I'm always prepared for any funeral, anything,' Michelle added. 'I walk around with the right dress, I travel with clothes just in case something pops off.
'So I was like, if I'm not going to do this thing, I got to tell my team, I don't even want to have a dress ready, right?'
By refusing to even pack the appropriate clothes, Michelle knew she was preventing herself from taking the easy route and 'just saying, let me do the right thing [and attend].'
Michelle said she was stunned that a decision she made for herself led to such intense speculation about her 32-year marriage.
And in her latest conversation with Tracee Ellis Ross and her brother, the trio spoke about what it was like when she first started dating Barack - with Robinson admitting that when Michelle and Barack began dating, he did not think the relationship would last a month.
'I've told this story many times about when you first started dating Barack. So Mich starts to date Barack, and we don't know who this guy is, we're just like, 'Barack? Who's got a name like Barack?' And I'm thinking it's gonna last a month like most of your relationships,' Robinson said chuckling, adding that he felt the relationship was 'not going to last.'
Michelle has also stressed to her listeners that marriage has been difficult.
'Marriage is hard and it is reasonably hard, you know, it's the right kind of hard but don't get upset when it's hard,' she said.
She also revealed that she warns young people to expect long periods when a marriage is extremely difficult.
'The reality is that if you choose to have a traditional marriage and you have kids let me tell you the years from one to 13 will be bad for you as an adult,' she said. 'It's beautiful but they will take you for a loop.'
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