Latest news with #Barack
Buzz Feed
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Michelle Obama Reacts To Daughter Malia Dropping Last Name
Kids dropping their famous parents' last names is nothing new in the celebrity world, and Malia Obama, the 26-year-old daughter of Barack and Michelle Obama, is among those who have made the move. For some context, Malia premiered her directorial debut, The Heart, at the Sundance Film Festival last year. She wrote and directed the 18-minute short film and made the notable decision to submit it and credit herself all under the name Malia Ann. Ann is Malia's middle name. For the record, it doesn't seem like she has filed to legally change her name, and there's currently no indication to suggest she will. And while other celeb kid name-changes might be linked to family conflicts or fractured relationships, it sounds like Malia's decision to leave off 'Obama' has more to do with her professional life than anything else. Speaking on Kate and Oliver Hudson's Sibling Revelry podcast on Monday, the former first lady opened up about how Malia and her soon-to-be 24-year-old sister, Sasha, are trying to 'distinguish' themselves as young adults. 'I mean, it is very important for my kids to feel like they've earned what they are getting in the world, and they don't want people to assume that they don't work hard, that they're just naturally, just handed things,' she said. 'They're very sensitive to that — they want to be their own people.' Discussing the name-change specifically, Michelle said that she and Barack were slightly skeptical of the move initially. 'Her first project — she took off her last name, and we were like, 'They're still going to know it's you, Malia,'' she said. 'But we respected the fact that she's trying to make her way.' Speaking more about her grown-up girls, who've remained very private since their family bid goodbye to the White House in 2017, Michelle said: 'As they're older, I think they are embracing our parenting principles. They have a clearer understanding of why we did a lot of what we did. They understand us as full human beings now, in the same way that I think I discovered that about my parents when I went away to college.' Notably, Barack echoed similar thoughts about the name-change when discussing Malia's decision not to credit herself as an Obama at Sundance. ''You do know they'll know who you are,'' he recalled telling his daughter during an appearance on The Pivot podcast in October. 'And she's all like, 'You know what? I want them to watch it that first time and not in any way have that association [with the Obama last name].'' 'So I think our daughters go out of their way to not try to leverage that,' he concluded. And you know what, good for them! You can find Michelle and her brother Craig's full appearance on the Sibling Revelry podcast here.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Barack and Michelle Obama have date night at George Clooney's Broadway play amid divorce rumors
Barack and Michelle Obama attended Tuesday night's performance of George Clooney's Broadway show, The Independent can reveal. The couple, in a rare joint public appearance, dined at The Lowell Hotel restaurant in Midtown Manhattan before the show, multiple reports indicated. Michelle was seen in a black lacy midi dress with her hair swept back in a long braid, while Barack was seen in a standard dark suit. Flanked by Secret Service members, the two were then ushered into a Black SUV and whisked away to the Winter Garden Theater to see Clooney as Edward R. Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck. Their attendance was confirmed by a representative for the production. The stage adaptation of his 2005 film of the same name marked the A-lister's Broadway debut and garnered him a 2025 Tony Award nomination. The Obamas have been the subject of divorce rumors for several months following Michelle's absence from a handful of high-profile events at the start of the year, including former President Jimmy Carter's funeral and President Donald Trump's inauguration. She recently opened up about her decision to skip the events in an April episode of her podcast, IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson. 'My decision to skip the inauguration, what people don't realize, or my decision to make choices at the beginning of this year that suited me were met with such ridicule and criticism,' she said. 'People couldn't believe that I was saying no for any other reason, that they had to assume that my marriage was falling apart, you know.' She reiterated that she simply didn't go to the inauguration because it was the best decision for her. 'I'm here really trying to own my life and intentionally practice making the choice that was right for me,' she explained. 'And it took everything in my power to not do the thing that was right, or that was perceived as right, but do the thing that was right for me. That was a hard thing for me to do.' The former First Lady also spoke about the divorce rumors during an appearance on Sophia Bush's Work in Progress podcast earlier in April. 'The interesting thing is that, when I say 'no,' for the most part people are like, 'I get it, and I'm OK,'' she said. 'That's the thing that we as women, I think we struggle with disappointing people. I mean, so much so that this year people couldn't even fathom that I was making a choice for myself that they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing.' 'This couldn't be a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself, right?' she added. 'But that's what society does to us. We start actually, finally going, 'What am I doing? Who am I doing this for?' 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.'
Elle
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
There's a Reason Michelle and Barack Obama's First Date Inspired a Movie
Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Barack and Michelle Obama may have one of the most famous political marriages of the modern era, thriving through two terms of the White House and over 30 years together. The pair met in 1989 at a Chicago law firm, and it was love at first sight—for Barack. Michelle, then known as Michelle Robinson, took a little convincing to go on that first date, but she had no hesitation when he asked her to marry him in 1992. In the last eight years since Barack Obama ended his two terms as President of the United States, both he and Michelle have remained politically engaged, traveled the world, released books, produced films and podcasts, and stayed on as cultural influencers in almost every corner of the U.S. and many abroad. And they're still going strong, celebrating their long love story every year it grows. Here's their complete relationship timeline so far. Barack began working at the same Chicago law firm as Michelle in 1989, Sidley Austin LLP, and she was actually assigned to be his mentor. He told O, The Oprah Magazine in 2007 that he was immediately taken with her, but she wasn't exactly on the same wavelength. 'In the luckiest break of my life, [Michelle] was assigned to be my adviser, I remember being struck by how tall and beautiful she was,' he explained. 'I asked her out. She refused. I kept asking. She kept refusing.' In her own interview with ABC News in 2008, Michelle implied that the firm thought they'd be a good match, even if just as business associates. 'Because I went to Harvard and he went to Harvard, and the firm thought, 'Oh, we'll hook these two people up,'' she joked. 'Barack, about a month in, asked me out, and I thought 'No way. This is completely tacky.'' Eventually, she did say yes. In her 2018 book Becoming, Michelle described their first date by saying he picked her up in a Datsun with a 'rusted-out, four-inch hole' in the floorboard where she 'could see the pavement rushing beneath us.' But the date went well. 'He showed all the sides—he was hip, cutting edge, cultural, sensitive. The fountain—nice touch. The walk—patient,' Michelle told The Telegraph in 2012. Their first date even became the subject of the 2016 film Southside With You, showing the couple going from a lunch at the Art Institute of Chicago, walking across the city, having Baskin-Robbins ice cream in Hyde Park, and seeing the Spike Lee movie Do The Right Thing. Plus, a very special first kiss: Two years after their first date, they got engaged at Gordon's restaurant in Chicago just after Barack passed the bar exam, per ABC News. 'And then the waiter came over with the dessert and a tray. And there was the ring,' Michelle said. 'And I was completely shocked.' They were wed on Oct. 3, 1992. They wrote their own vows, and Michelle later reflected, 'Barack didn't pledge riches, only a life that would be interesting. On that promise, he delivered.' Their reception was held at the South Shore Cultural Center, and they then took a trip along the California coast for a honeymoon, Brides magazine reported in 2020. They welcomed their first child, Malia, on July 4, 1998. 'Being a mother has been a master class in letting go. Try as we might, there's only so much we can control. And, boy, have I tried—especially at first. As mothers, we just don't want anything or anyone to hurt our babies. But life has other plans. Bruised knees, bumpy roads, and broken hearts are part of the deal. What's both humbled and heartened me is seeing the resiliency of my daughters,' Michelle told Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in an conversation for British Vogue in 2019. Their second daughter, Sasha, was born on July 10, 2001. In a 2013 interview with Essence, Barack talked about Michelle and the role model she has been as a mom. 'The great thing about the girls is they've got a wonderful role model in their mom,' Barack said. 'They've seen how Michelle and I interact—not only the love but also the respect that I show to their mom. So I think they have pretty high expectations about how relationships should be, and that gives me some confidence about the future. I joke about this stuff sometimes, but the truth is they are smart, steady young women.' Michelle described more about life with both girls in those early years to British Vogue, sharing, 'When Malia and Sasha were newborns, Barack and I could lose hours just watching them sleep. We loved to listen to the little sounds they'd make—especially the way they cooed when they were deep into dreaming.' In 2004, Barack became a U.S. senator for Illinois after serving as state senator for several years. The family became much more public, though they had both already been serving their community for some time. Michelle worked on Barack's campaign while also serving as vice president for community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals. And yet, that was not the highest echelon of government service the senator would reach by a long shot. In 2008, Barack defeated Republican nominee John McCain to serve as the President of the United States. In January 2009, Barack was sworn into office. The inaugural ball was a hugely celebratory evening, where Michelle wore a gown by Jason Wu. After being introduced by Denzel Washington, Barack asked the crowd, 'First of all, how good looking is my wife?' That night, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Sting, and Faith Hill performed and the couple was photographed slow dancing like they were the only two people in the world. In his 2010 State of the Union address, Barack addressed how popular his wife is. 'If you were going to list the 100 most popular things that I have done as president, being married to Michelle Obama is number one,' he joked. In 2011, in an interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show, he credited Michelle for his success. 'Obviously I couldn't have done anything that I've done without Michelle,' he told Oprah Winfrey. 'Not only has she been a great first lady, she is just my rock. I count on her in so many ways every single day.' Michelle agreed that their partnership was the key to their success, telling Winfrey, 'It has to be a true partnership, and you have to really, really like and respect the person you're married to, because it is a hard road. I mean, that's what I tell young couples. Don't expect it to be easy, melding two lives and trying to raise others, and doing it forever. I mean that's a recipe made for disaster, so there are highs and lows. But if in the end, you can look him in the eye and say, 'I like you.' I stopped believing in love at first sight. I think you go through that wonderful love stage, but when it gets hard, you need a little bit more.' Barack won a second term in 2012, defeating Mitt Romney in the presidential election. At the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Michelle told the audience, 'The truth is, I loved the life we had built for our girls. I deeply loved the man I had built that life with, and I didn't want that to change if he became President. I loved Barack just the way he was.' In March 2015, they were photographed in a behind-the-scenes moment embracing just before videotaping a segment for the 2015 World Expo. At the United State of Women summit in 2016, Michelle said that both she and Barack were ready to leave the White House and have some semblance of a normal life again. 'I want to open my front door without discussing it with anyone—and just walk,' Michelle said, per People. 'I want to go to Target again! I've heard so many things have changed in Target! I tell my friends they're going to have to give me a re-entry training for like, 'OK, what do you do at CVS now? How do you check out?'' That same year, Barack told Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, 'All the women in my life are looking forward to being able to live a more normal life.' The family left the White House in January 2017, and were seen in Italy, Hawaii, and Necker Island. During his wife's book tour for Becoming, Barack surprised Michelle while she was being interviewed by Valerie Jarrett, bringing a bouquet of pink roses to the stage. 'You don't get this at every show!' Michelle joked. 'This is like—you know when Jay-Z comes out during the Beyoncé concert? Like, 'Crazy in Love?'' Barack asked. 'It's the same thing. It's just a little sample to enhance the concert.' Michelle celebrated Barack for their anniversary. Barack's memoir A Promised Land was dedicated to 'Michelle—my love and life's partner, and Malia and Sasha—whose dazzling light makes everything brighter.' In a September 2020 episode of The Michelle Obama Podcast, Michelle was open about some of the challenges in marriage people don't often discuss. 'There were times that I wanted to push Barack out of the window. And I say that because it's like, you've got to know the feelings will be intense,' she admitted. 'But that doesn't mean you quit. And these periods can last a long time. They can last years.' When talking about meeting someone, the former first lady replied, 'You can't Tinder your way into a long-term relationship. There's no magic way to make that happen except getting the basics of finding somebody, being honest about wanting to be with them, to date them seriously, to plan on making a commitment, to date them, seeing where it goes, and then making it happen.' The couple had their official portraits hung in the White House in 2022. Barack praised Michelle's portrait by Sharon Sprung, saying it encapsulated 'her sheer grace, her intelligence, and the fact that she is fine.' His portrait was painted by Robert McCurdy, and Michelle had previously shared a photo of herself appreciating it. That same year on the Revolt x Michelle Obama special hosted by Angie Martinez, Michelle talked about the frustrations of early marriage, especially just after their children were born. 'People think I'm being catty for saying this; it's like, there were 10 years where I couldn't stand my husband. Ten years! And guess when it happened? When those kids were little,' she explained. 'Little kids have demands. They don't talk. They're poor communicators. They cry all the time. They're irrational. They're needy. And you love them more than anything. And so you can't blame them. So you turn that ire on each other.' Things improved when she realized 'marriage isn't 50-50, ever.' 'But guess what?' she continued. 'Ten years; we've been married 30. I would take 10 bad years over 30—it's just how you look at it. People give up: 'Five years; I can't take it.'' She added that it helps to 'know your person.' 'Do you like him? I mean, you could be mad at him, but do you still look at him and go, 'I'm not happy with you, but I respect you. I don't agree with you, but you're still a kind, smart person.' The feelings are gonna change over time,' she continued. While speaking with host Jay Shetty on the On Purpose podcast, Michelle dispelled the idea that she and Barack were #hashtag couple goals, adding that 'broken things' can happen 'even in the best of marriages.' She wanted to normalize discussing the 'natural, understandable rough patches' that make people 'want to quit.' 'And it's like, 'Oh, no, no, no, no, no. That's not quit-worthy. That's just the nature of things,'' she said. 'That's just the way it goes, but you don't quit on it, you learn from it. That's what sustaining a relationship is—it's the choice to figure it out, not quit when it gets hard.' For her 60th birthday that year, Barack celebrated Michelle in an Instagram post, describing her as his 'better half' and 'one of the funniest, smartest, most beautiful people I know.' He added, '@MichelleObama, you make every day better. I can't wait to see what this new decade brings you.'
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Barack Obama's candid dating advice revealed on wife Michelle's latest podcast
Barack Obama has shared his advice on dating after being married to his wife, Michelle, for over 30 years. On Tuesday, during an episode of Michelle's IMO podcast with her brother, Craig Robinson, the two spoke with the CEO of Airbnb, Brian Chesky, about how he built his business from the ground up, including the mentorship he received from the former president along the way. Over the years, Chesky and Barack became close enough that they started discussing their personal lives, like the unsuccessful dates the CEO was going on. 'One time I was like — I met somebody and I was about to go on a date with — I went on a date with them and I remember telling him like, 'Oh my God, she checks all the boxes and like this, this, this, this, this,'' he told Michelle and Robinson. 'And I remember him saying something. He said, it's not a checklist.' Chesky explained that he never considered that he had adopted this mindset until after Barack pointed out what he should really be looking for in a long-term partner. 'He's like, the right person is someone where they've got this weird laugh or snort and you find it really funny,' he continued. 'And it's like, in other words, it's not necessarily what you think you're looking for. And you're not dating a checklist, you're dating a real person. And the real person makes you feel a certain way.' 'I think it was like a really, really important piece of advice,' he added. The former president's dating advice comes after his wife was forced to address divorce rumors following her absence at several notable events. The rumors first started when Barack attended former President Jimmy Carter's funeral without his wife in January. Then, days later, Michelle confirmed she wouldn't attend Donald Trump's second presidential inauguration. Speaking on Sophia Bush's Work in Progress podcast last month, Michelle touched on the rumors. 'The interesting thing is that, when I say 'no,' for the most part people are like, 'I get it,'' she said. 'That's the thing that we as women, I think we struggle with disappointing people. I mean, so much so that this year people couldn't even fathom that I was making a choice for myself that they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing.' 'This couldn't be a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself, right?' she added. 'But that's what society does to us. We start actually, finally going, 'What am I doing? Who am I doing this for?' 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.'
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Michelle Obama Details Unusual 'Deal' She Has With Barack Obama
Michelle Obama is pulling back the curtain on her relationship with former President Barack Obama and what keeps their marriage strong. During an appearance on Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast on Tuesday, May 13, Michelle, 61, shared a humorous rule that governs her marriage with Barack, 63. "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 explained. She said their teasing started early in their relationship and has become a part of their love language. 'When he does, I was like, 'Oh, wait a minute, what's going on here?'' Michelle recalled. 'None of that.' Michelle also revealed that her daughters, Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23, are her partners-in-crime when it comes to teasing their dad. "When me, Malia, and Sasha are all together, he doesn't stand a chance," she joked. 'We mercilessly go after him. So, yes, teasing is our love language, and I tell him that." In May, the former first lady addressed speculation about her relationship with Barack during an appearance on The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett, especially regarding her decision not to attend President Jimmy Carter's funeral and Donald Trump's second inauguration. "If I were having problems with my husband, everybody would know about it," Michelle said with a laugh. Michelle also emphasized that despite any challenges they've faced, divorce was never an option for them."The beauty of my husband and our partnership is that neither one of us was really ever gonna quit at it,' she reflected. The Obamas have been married since October 1992. The mom of two opened up about her decision to seek therapy after becoming an empty nester during the April 28 episode of the On Purpose podcast. Reflecting on her life's current phase, the former first lady explained that therapy has become an important tool as she navigates significant changes. 'At this phase of my life, I'm in therapy right now because I'm transitioning,' she shared.
