Setting the record straight! Following months of speculation about the state of her marriage, Michelle Obama addressed the divorce rumors on Sophia Bush’s podcast, “Work in Progress.”  Whispers that the former president and first lady were headed for a split began when Michelle, 61, decided not to accompany Barack Obama to Jimmy Carter’s  January 9  funeral. They only grew  louder when she was notably absent from her husband’s side at Donald Trump’s January 20 inauguration.

“That’s the thing that we as women struggle with — disappointing people,” said Michelle. “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?”

The mom of two went on to explain that now that she and Barack, 63, are out of the White House and their daughters, Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23, are out of the house too, she’s finally been able to put her wants and needs first.

“I get to look at my calendar, which I did this year,” she said. “It was a real big example of me, myself, looking at something that I was supposed to do … and I chose to do what was best for me. Not what I had to do, not what other people wanted me to do.”

Michelle broke her silence regarding the split rumors after an insider exclusively explained to In Touch how she and Barack were handling the speculation. “The Obamas have been through so much that, at this point, they feel no need to publicly address that kind of talk,” the source said in an article published on March 28. “The last thing either of them wants to do is try to explain their relationship to people.”

After noting that the couple has “been married for three decades,” the insider said they “don’t need to be on top of each other 24/7.”

Michelle previously admitted that it has been a “rough year” for her during her March appearance at SXSW in Austin, Texas, referring to her mother’s passing in May 2024. Due to the difficult year, it’s not surprising that the former First Lady wants to live a more private life.

“So, she simply chose to stay out of the spotlight for a while,” the source told In Touch. “It hasn’t helped that she’s been under a lot of pressure to be more outspoken on current events, but she’s never liked politics — that’s Barack’s thing.”

Despite Michelle’s decision to step out of the political spotlight, the insider said that she and Barack are as strong as ever. “They’ll always have each other’s back,” the source shared. “They’re confident in their relationship and don’t care what anyone thinks.”

Before Michelle spoke out against the split rumors, Barack hinted that everything was fine in their relationship when he penned a supportive message about her and her brother Craig Robinson’s new podcast, “IMO,” on March 18.

“So proud of Michelle and Craig on their new podcast, @imopodcasts! You can’t truly understand Michelle without understanding her family,” he captioned a clip from the podcast via Instagram. “In every episode, she and Craig will talk about their own journeys and explore the joys and challenges that so many people face. Check it out on YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcasts.”