Michelle Obama and Barack Obama have been dogged by divorce rumors for months after the former First Lady did not attend two major events alongside her husband.
Opting to skip President Jimmy Carter’s funeral, as well as Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, fans and critics alike wondered if all was well in her decades-long relationship.
Michelle’s brother, Craig Robinson, has now shared insight into her marriage on their joint podcast IMO, admitting that while he didn’t believe the pair would last, he quickly realized they were meant to be after a game of pick-up basketball.
Uncovering Barack’s character
“I love talking about dating because I haven’t done it in decades,” the mother of two said on the podcast, which welcomed special guest Tracee Ellis Ross.
Craig went on to explain how when he first met Barack, he employed the tactic that their father taught them to gain an understanding of the lawyer. “You can really tell a person’s character by how they play pick-up basketball,” he said.
“And I’ve told this story many times about when you first started dating Barack,” he continued. “So Mich starts to date Barack, and we don’t know who this guy is, we’re just like, ‘Barack? Who’s got a name like Barack?’ And I’m thinking it’s gonna last a month like most of your relationships.”
© Getty ImagesMichelle objected to this, chiming in: “That’s not true. I’ve had many a long-term boyfriend.”
“I wouldn’t call those guys boyfriends,” Craig quipped. “And I said to myself, ‘Too bad it’s not going to last.'”
“But the best part of it was, after we met him and she had been dating him for a little while she said, ‘Would you mind Craig, taking him to play?’ And at first, I said, ‘No way, I’m not going to do your dirty work for you. If he turns out to be a bad dude, I’m not going to be the one to say,'” he recalled.
© Michelle ObamaThankfully, the pair bonded over their basketball game, and Craig realized that his future brother-in-law was the right fit for Michelle.
“This is what I learned,” he continued. “Aside from the fact that he is tremendously left-handed so he couldn’t go right at all, most importantly, he was a team player, right? He fit in with the people.”
“So I was able to report back to you that everything was fine and the rest was history,” he concluded.
Relationship on the rocks?
© Getty ImagesCraig’s comments come after rampant speculation that the Obamas’ relationship had hit a rough patch despite their 32-year marriage. Michelle dispelled these rumors on the Work in Progress podcast with actress Sophia Bush, and opened up about the heightened scrutiny of women in the public eye.
“That’s the thing that we, as women, I think we struggle with disappointing people. 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,” she said on the show.
“That this couldn’t be a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself, right? That’s what society does to us.”
© Andy WenstrandShe continued: “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.”
The 61-year-old broke from tradition when she did not attend Donald Trump’s inauguration due to a scheduling conflict.
“Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former First Lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration,” read a statement from the Obamas’ office.
To hear Michelle open up about her health journey, see below…
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