Politics
‘I’m Transitioning’: Michelle Obama Raises Eyebrows With Latest Comments On Marriage
Michelle Obama created a storm of speculation and curiosity following her comments about being in a “transition” phase of life—remarks that come amid renewed public chatter about the state of her marriage to former President Barack Obama.
The former first lady made the comments during a wide-ranging interview on The Jay Shetty Podcast, where she opened up about turning 60 and what that milestone means for her personally. “At this phase of my life, I’m in therapy right now because I’m transitioning, you know?” she told Shetty per The Independent.
“I’m 60 years old, I’ve finished a really hard thing in my life with my family intact, I’m an empty nester, my girls are in – you know, they’ve been launched,” she said.
Now out of the White House and with her daughters grown, Michelle said she’s finally in a position to make decisions solely for herself. “Every choice that I’m making is completely mine,” she added. “I now don’t have the excuse of, ‘Well, my kids need this’ or ‘My husband needs that’ or ‘The country needs that.’”
“So, I’m getting that tune-up for this next phase because I believe this is a whole ‘nother phase in life for me,” she continued. “And I now have the wisdom to know—let me go get some coaching while I’m doing it.”
Michelle has long advocated for mental health awareness, and she used this moment to encourage others to consider therapy. “I am an advocate of it. Everybody needs to find their form of it, the best way they can,” she said.
Her comments come just weeks after the former first lady addressed swirling rumors about her marriage to Barack Obama. Speaking on the Work in Progress podcast hosted by actress Sophia Bush, Michelle denied that her personal decisions—like skipping public events—were signs of relationship trouble.
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“That’s the thing that we as women, I think we struggle with disappointing people,” she said. “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.”
The speculation was fueled in part by her decision to skip former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral in January, as well as her absence from President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
“That this couldn’t be a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself, right?” she said. “That’s what society does to us.”
Now 61, Michelle said she’s rethinking everything from her identity to how she spends her days. “We start actually, finally going, ‘What am I doing? Who am I doing this for?’” she reflected. “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.”
Despite the noise, Michelle emphasized that she remains active in public life. “And I still find time to you know, give speeches, to be out there in the world, to work on projects. I still care about girls’ education,” she said. “You know, the library is opening in a year from now.”
Barack Obama has previously admitted that his presidency took a toll on their relationship, describing it as creating a “deep deficit.” But both have maintained a united public front, even as they navigate life beyond the White House—and beyond the expectations that come with it.
