MICHELLE Obama has acknowledged experiencing marital troubles with her husband Barack Obama and said she needed convincing to support his presidential aspirations.

The former first lady, 61, returned to the public spotlight, launching a new weekly podcast with her older brother where they discuss various topics concerning everyday life.

In her debut episode, Michelle gave listeners a sneak peek into her marriage with the 44th president and how his lack of punctuality irritated her at the start of their relationship.

“Being married to the president of the United States is a thing that none of us kind of banked on,” Michelle told Rae and her brother, Craig Robinson.

“We knew Barack was smart and ambitious,” she added before admitting her brother convinced her to support Obama’s presidential campaign.

“You talked me into supporting his run cause I was definitely like, nope, nope, this is crazy, we’ve done enough crazy stuff,” Michelle said.

Robinson then shared how Obama, 63, spoke to him about being unable to persuade Michelle to back his White House efforts.

“I did. Barack came to and he’s like, ‘I can’t convince your sister to go along with this,’ and I’m like, ‘woah, woah, go along with what?’ and he’s like, ‘I think I’m going to run for president.’ And I was like, ‘what? I wouldn’t go along with it,'” Robinson said.

Speaking to Michelle, he continued, “I convinced you to not penalize him for being really good at what he does.”

In the same episode of IMO, Michelle acknowledged her husband’s belatedness would bother her.

“Barack had to adjust to what on time was, you know,” she said.

“I’ve got this husband who, when it’s time to leave, he’s getting up and going to the bathroom.

“And I was like, dude, three o’clock departure means you’ve done all that. It’s like, don’t start looking for your glasses, you know, at the 3:00 departure.

“He’s improved over 30 years of marriage, but that was a ‘you must adjust.'”

Despite the siblings’ venture into podcasting, the first two episodes have failed to reach a large audience.

In total, the first two episodes of IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson have generated less than 70,000 views on YouTube.

MARRIAGE STRUGGLES?

The podcast comes as rumors have circulated about the Obamas’ supposed marriage strife.

The former president and Michelle have been spotted in public on numerous occasions without each other.

Divorce chatter first emerged on social media when Obama attended Jimmy Carter’s state funeral on January 9 in Washington DC alone.

Obama joined the other four living presidents – Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush – and their wives in honoring Carter, who died on December 29, 2024, at age 100.

However, missing from the gallery was Michelle, who was still on an extended vacation in Hawaii at the time.

Michelle then skipped Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, despite all of the other former first ladies and presidents attending.

Her team did not provide a reason for her absence.

Obama was pictured seated alone next to Bush and his wife, Laura Bush.

Then, on February 21, Michelle and her brother were pictured at the Italian restaurant hotspot, Mother Wolf, in Los Angeles without Obama.

A source at the eatery told The U.S. Sun that Michelle seemed engaged in a serious, tense conversation over dinner with Robinson.

On March 5, Obama was photographed sitting courtside at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, for the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers and Detroit Pistons game.

Obama was seated between Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his wife, Connie.

Obama was spotted wearing his wedding ring, but Michelle was not in attendance.

Trouble in paradise?

Divorce rumors involving Barack and Michelle Obama has swirled online in recent months.

• The rumors first emerged when Michelle Obama missed former President Jimmy Carter’s state funeral on January 9.
• Barack Obama attended the funeral alone and sat next to all the former presidents and first ladies.
• Michelle Obama then skipped President Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, giving no reason for her absence.
• Barack Obama was caught on video arriving at the inauguration alone and sat next to former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush.
• On February 21, Michelle and her older brother, Craig Robinson, were spotted enjoying dinner at a Los Angeles hotspot without Barack Obama.
• The former president was pictured courtside at the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers and Detroit Pistons game on March 5.
• Obama was seated between Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his wife, Connie, but Michelle was nowhere in sight.