It’s been a bumpy couple of public outings for former president Barack Obama — mainly due to a notable absence of his better half, Michelle Obama. When Michelle was inexplicably absent from Jimmy Carter’s funeral, the rumor mill popped into overdrive with many suggesting that the Obamas were headed for divorce. Scrutiny of the actions and antics of both Michelle and Barack, such as their lukewarm PDA, have aided in the resurgence of one of the more bizarre rumors the couple can’t seem to shake: that Barack has been having an ongoing affair with “Friends” actress Jennifer Aniston.

When the scandalous suggestion was broached back in August 2024, Aniston herself took to “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to debunk the rumors. Whereas Aniston’s response wasn’t exactly what we expected, it did set the record straight — for a while, anyway. However, an alleged direct message from a close friend of Aniston leaked onto X, formerly Twitter, claiming to have proof that the actor and politician are, indeed, romantically involved. According to the screenshot of the DM, the source claims, “[Barack’s] with Jennifer Aniston … Jennifer herself admitted it … it’s definitely not a secret among her closest friends.” As of this writing, neither the Obamas nor Aniston have provided a comment in any capacity.

Even though the Barack Obama and Jennifer Aniston cheating rumors probably don’t hold any water, the whispers that Barack and wife Michelle Obama are headed for Splitsville have been ramping up. Whereas she was most likely protecting her peace by skipping both Jimmy Carter’s funeral and the inauguration ceremonies for Donald Trump, Michelle’s absence sent divorce rumors into overdrive. Even with the former first couple having a solid foundation of love, honesty, and support for one another, it seems this current trajectory has teeth to it.

One of the last outings the Obamas were seen on in 2024 had some mixed messaging from the couple. Their body language was off, to say the least, with Michelle acting coy and smiling while Barack skulked in the background with a more morbid facial expression. For her part, Michelle opened up in her book “Becoming” about her struggles with motherhood and her marriage, leading many to believe she might be doing more than simply avoiding being around the Trumps by making Barack go it alone at major events. Whatever the case may be, it would be nice to see the couple back in public together.