EXCLUSIVE How Barack and Michelle Obama were 'awkward' and 'anxious' during frank discussion about divorce rumors
Barack, 63, was a guest on the IMO podcast, which Michelle co-hosts with her brother Craig Robinson, with the couple addressing the divorce rumors that have engulfed their marriage in recent weeks.
The former first lady, 61, joked that it was nice to be in the same room as her husband, sassily telling her brother: 'When we aren't, folks think we're divorced.'
Michelle clapped back at the speculation, passionately saying there has not been 'one moment' in their marriage where she thought about separating.
However, body language expert Judi James declared the pair's body language has changed drastically since their days in the White House as she described the interaction as 'awkward' in video footage from the podcast.
'As Barack arrives to take his seat, Michelle rubs her hands on her thighs in what looks like a self-calming ritual before placing her hands below the desk, between her legs,' Judi exclusively told the Daily Mail.
'This, along with the way her awkwardly-placed feet tend to edge under her seat, suggests a desire to self-diminish from the normally confident-looking ex FLOTUS,' she added.
'There's no real joy thrown into the room at this point to relax any tension,' the expert continued. 'Michelle's brows shoot upward and her head wobbles in a suggestion that any rumors make her sad and rather angry.'
Meanwhile, Judi mused that Barack's response to learning about the rumors around their marriage - to which he said 'I don't even know this stuff's going on' - was 'odd.'
According to the expert, the former first lady's body language suggests 'anxiety and inherent awkwardness.'
'When Barack and Michelle were in the White House their signature body language brand was all about mutual romance and a form of intellectual and charismatic equality,' Judi observed.
She added in the past, the couple's marriage looked like the 'perfect blueprint,' with Michelle even tending to 'eclipse her husband now and again when it came to public speaking and positive, inspirational confidence.'
Judi pointed out that changing the way they interact with each other - or 'lowering the idyllic bar' - would obviously incite gossip about their relationship.
'The couple appear mildly uncomfortable but determined to set the record straight here,' she observed, adding that they are putting on a 'professional display.'
The expert added although the seating arrangement is determined by the studio set up which hinders any physical affection, there is no 'gracious, presidential double-act style body language' between them like there was in previous years.
'This means there is no gracious, presidential double-act style body language where they pose as a tactile couple before taking to their seats,' she revealed. 'The only person Barack reaches out to touch here is Michelle's brother.'
The expert also noted the lack of 'romantic' moments for the camera.
'Michelle finishes with a formal sign-off of "Thank you Barack Obama" with no playful-looking rituals,' she concluded her observations.
Instead, Judi pointed out the mom-of-two anxiously rubbed her bracelets, which could suggest the discussion on the podcast may 'have cost them both in terms of emotion to take this action to prove the doubters wrong.'
Michelle made heartfelt admission about her relationship with her husband of almost 33 years during the episode, wasting no time in addressing the rumors they are headed for a divorce.
'What, you guys like each other?' Robinson joked, before Michelle replied: 'Oh yeah, the rumor mill.'
'There hasn't been one moment in our marriage where I thought about quitting my man,' she said passionately.
She continued: 'And we've had some really hard times. So we had a lot of fun times, a lot of adventures, and I have become a better person because of the man I'm married to.'
The Obamas have been married for almost 33 years and share daughters, Malia, 26, and Sasha, 24. Over the past few months they have faced ongoing rumors about their marriage status, but have denied they are separating.
Speculation mounted over trouble between the pair after her decision to skip both Jimmy Carter's funeral and President Donald Trump's inauguration - with Michelle insisting they were decisions she made for herself.
Those absences sparked divorce rumors, which she addressed during a taping of actress Sophia Bush's podcast in April.
'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, 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.
'That this couldn't be a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself, right?' she continued. 'That's what society does to us.'
'We start actually, finally going, "What am I doing? Who am I doing this for?"' the former first lady said. 'And if it doesn't fit into the sort of stereotype of what people think we should do, then it gets labeled as something negative and horrible.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
Why two justices could hand Republicans their own ‘Ginsburg moment' next year
Are conservatives headed for their own 'Ginsburg moment'? That could be the outcome of the 2026 midterm elections if Democrats have any say in the matter. With next year's congressional elections still on the horizon, the first glimpses of the political dynamics that will shape 2026 are coming into view. Even as Donald Trump and his administration remain this week consumed by an uproar among the MAGA base over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, issues like inflation and the White House's mass deportation raids continue to retain salience quietly in the background — quietly, but not with diminished importance, as they'll likely remain the top factors driving Americans to the polls. Then, there's the Supreme Court. It remains a sore point for liberals who watched Republicans lock Barack Obama out of the discussion over a vacant seat in 2016 and then, in 2020, watched Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death just two months before a presidential election notch a second rightward shift for the court in less than a decade. Justice Clarence Thomas, 77, is the oldest member of the bench. Some conservatives have privately begun to fret that the right-leaning justice or his 75-year-old colleague, Samuel Alito (whose wife hung a symbol honoring the January 6 conspiracy after the attack) could cause another 'Ginsburg moment' by refusing to resign while Republicans control the Senate, allowing one or both seats to fall into liberal hands. Legal commentators are somewhat torn over whether either will retire this term. Mike Davis, a former Senate GOP staffer on Supreme Court nominations and current 'viceroy' of Trumpworld, wrote that Alito was 'gleefully packing up his chambers' after the 2024 election. Ed Whelan, the Antonin Scalia chair in constitutional studies at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, also predicted in 2025 that Alito would retire in 2025, and Thomas in 2026, according to the American Bar Association Journal (ABAJournal). Others are less certain, and a source close to Alito tried to tamp down on that speculation earlier this year. "Despite what some people may think, this is a man who has never thought about this job from a political perspective," they told the Wall Street Journal. "The idea that he's going to retire for political considerations is not consistent with who he is," the source added. David Lat, who founded his own blog reporting on gossip surrounding the Court and broader legal world, also noted to ABAJournal that both justices have hired full rosters of clerks for the upcoming two terms, the latter of which will end in 2027. Under Donald Trump's first term, three Supreme Court vacancies were filled by conservative justices. Ginsberg's refusal to retire at multiple points when multiple factors were clear, including how her health challenges were affecting her work and the likelihood that Republicans would bend the rules (or shatter them) to see her seat filled with a conservative, is still looked by many as a failure of not just the justice but those liberals around her who allowed the octogenarian's desire to stay on the job conflict with political realities. Her defenders insisted that the justice's deliberations about retiring did not factor in politics at all. Critics of the Court see the justices' shroud of apoliticism as an excuse that does not match their rhetoric or actions, either on the bench or in public. The efforts by Alito's allies to dissuade speculation echoed those same defenses and rang especially hollow for the conservative justice who has shmoozed with a conservative billionaire with cases before the court and who reportedly authored his own blueprint for the eventual overturn of Roe vs Wade as far back as 1985. Thomas, meanwhile, reportedly sparked fears among conservatives that he would resign from the Court on his own way back in 2000 as he complained about the job's pay. But there's been no such murmuring as of late. If the claims are true and both justices are set on remaining on the bench, they could put Republicans in an awkward spot. The GOP's chances of protecting their newly-acquired Senate majority remain strong but have grown noticeably weaker in the past six months. The announced retirement of Thom Tillis in North Carolina puts his purple-seat state decidedly in play. Maine's Susan Collins is up for re-election, as is John Cornyn in Texas; Cornyn faces a hyper-MAGA primary challenger whom the senator has said could give up the seat to Democrats in November of 2026 if his primary challenge is successful. Rumors also continue to swirl about the possible retirement of Joni Ernst, the senator from Iowa, and her partner in the Senate delegation from the state, Chuck Grassley, is a staggering 91 years old himself. Several factors could force the Senate back into Democratic hands next year, and if the party's discussions over countering GOP redistricting in Texas by 'going nuclear' and following suit across a range of blue states is any indication, the party's members have learned not to give Republicans an inch and could block any of Trump's SCOTUS nominations going forward. In the end, the same shaky apoliticism that the justices cling to when facing any criticism from Congress or the Executive Branch could swing back to help the left, after causing so much damage at the end of the Obama era. It would be up to Democrats in the Senate to decide whether they are truly willing to take a page from the GOP's playbook.
Daily Mirror
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Michelle Keegan stuns fans with bikini snaps just months after giving birth
Former Coronation Street star Michelle Keegan became a first time mum in March this year - but she is already back promoting her swimwear brand and showing off her latest designs Michelle Keegan may have given birth to her first child just four months ago, but she is already back to work and flogging bikinis that she has designed - winning support and praise from fans in the process. The 38-year-old former Coronation Street star became a first time mum in March this year as she welcomed her daughter, named Palma, with her husband - reality star Mark Wright, 38. Most new mothers in the UK take advantage of the 26-52 weeks statutory maternity leave once welcoming their bundle of joy. But Michelle proved she was ready and raring to get back to work this weekend as she modelled her latest line of bikinis and beach wear from her Orfila Bee fashion line. Taking to Instagram on Sunday, Michelle shared a collection of snaps of herself wearing a brown bikini and a cowgirl hat. She paired the items with a lightweight white sarong which was tied around her waist and a white summer beach top that covered her arms. The star uploaded the images to her main grid alongside a caption stating: "We really did make the chicest cover up @orfilabee." Fans were stunned to see Michelle back at work - and showing off her toned figure. One impressed follower remarked in the comments section: "Thought she just had a baby?" While another echoed: "How have you just birthed a child?" Earlier this month, it was revealed that Michelle has been "torn" over her future - with the possibility of big acting roles and her new role as a mother pulling her in opposite directions. A source told The Mirror last weekend: 'Michelle has always been a hard worker, so she's torn between staying at home with Palma and getting back out there. 'It's not an easy industry – you're self-employed so you never know when your next job might be. It's still really early days, but these are the questions she's asking herself, because she's very much in demand. Everything Michelle touches lately seems to turn to gold.' Weeks earlier it was reported that Stockport-born Michelle had signed a six-figure deal to become the new face of Sky – alongside Luther star Idris Elba. Arguably still most famous for playing Tina McIntyre on Coronation Street from 2008 until 2014, Michelle went on to carve out an impressive acting career across a variety of genres. She made an impact as an army soldier in the hit BBC show Our Girl from 2016 until 2020. And more recently she enjoyed success on the Netflix drama Fool Me Once, and has won fans for her comedy work on the Sky series Brassic. Away from acting, she has drawn further attention for her fashion collaborations - and her romantic life. She began dating The Only Way Is Essex star Mark Wright in 2013 - and they became engaged that same year. It wasn't until May 2015 that they tied the knot - and then almost 10 full decades later, the happy couple started their own family with the arrival of Palma.
Daily Mail
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
'Is this CNN?!' Michael Smerconish goes viral as he rejects WSJ's Trump-Epstein letter
A CNN host shocked social media as he sided with Donald Trump over the latest developments in the Jeffrey Epstein saga. Michael Smerconish defended the president on his show after The Wall Street Journal published an alleged birthday letter that Trump sent to the pedophile financier. Trump denies he wrote the letter and accompanying lewd drawing. He is suing the Journal, as well as the paper's owner media mogul Rupert Murdoch personally. Smerconish shared excerpts of the letter on his show, which included an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein. The note allegedly concludes with Trump telling Epstein, 'May every day be a wonderful secret.' The CNN host said on Saturday, 'It's hard to believe that the president would have written the imaginary conversation between himself and Epstein 22 years ago. I mean, listen to some of the back and forth.' After reading a few excerpts, Smerconish stated, 'That doesn't sound like something Donald Trump would write.' X user @MichaelFauchea2 wrote, 'Is this CNN????????? Wow!' in response to a clip of Smerconish's remarks. Another user, who goes by the handle of @TyrannyStomper, wrote 'Man, thank you, CNN. As bad as CNN is they do get it right occasionally these days.' The bombshell report by the Journal alleges that Trump drew Epstein a 'bawdy' doodle of a topless woman, which included his signature on her pubic area. Donald Trump Jr., the president's son, declared on social media, 'In 47 years I've never seen him doodle once. Give me a break.' Vice President JD Vance posted on X defending his boss, saying that the story is 'complete and utter bulls***.' 'The WSJ should be ashamed for publishing it,' the 40-year-old VP continued. 'Where is this letter? Would you be shocked to learn they never showed it to us before publishing it? Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump?' Democrats have put Republicans in a bind over the matter, seizing on the bizarre explanation that Trump doesn't draw, despite there being myriad examples of the president's sketches. California Gov. Gavin Newsom hit back on Trump's claim he never drew with a picture by posting one that he donated to charity. 'Trump loves to draw,' former congressman Adam Kinzinger posted alongside a dozen of the president's drawings. 'Just saying.' Progressive Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., wrote on X: 'I don't know what's in the Epstein files, but Trump being so desperate to make this story go away is making me wonder: what's he hiding?' 'Give the American people the transparency they deserve,' she added. 'Release the full files.' Across Washington, the Epstein scandal is proving difficult to tamp down. A rebel band of Republican lawmakers including some of MAGA's biggest stars - like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert - are joining forces with hundreds of Democrats to force a bombshell ballot on the Epstein files. Despite the typical partisan battle lines being drawn on most issues in Washington, D.C. these days, this matter in particular has created an unlikely set of bedfellows. Progressive Democrat Ro Khanna and libertarian-minded Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky teamed up last week to introduce the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which would compel Attorney General Pam Bondi to publicly release all unclassified materials relating to Jeffery Epstein. The duo's resolution is receiving the the backing of a diverse set of members, including New York socialist darling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Michigan 'Squad' member Rashida Tlaib, as well as Boebert of Colorado, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, and Greene of Georgia. Khanna noted during a Thursday media appearance that his resolution had the backing of all 212 of his Democratic colleagues in the House. Even if only the 10 GOP co-sponsors of the resolution were to support it, it would easily pass the House, as just a simple majority is need, which is 218 votes out of 435.
