Michelle Obama breaks her silence on Barack divorce rumors

Former first lady Michelle Obama has hit back at rumors she and husband Barack are headed for divorce, blaming the rampant speculation on her decision to stand for her newfound independence.The 61-year-old broke her silence on Sophia Bush’s “Work in Progress” podcast Wednesday after the pair were dogged by gossip that their marriage was on the rocks when she opted to skip several high-profile events earlier this year — including President Trump’s inauguration.“The interesting thing is that, when I say ‘no,’ for the most part people are like, ‘I get it, and I’m OK,’” the mom of two said of her decision to turn down key invitations.“And that’s the thing that we as women struggle with — disappointing people,” she continued.“So much so that people, 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.”Michelle scoffed at widespread speculation they’d had called it quits on their three-decade union, noting that it was unfathomable to some that she couldn’t possibly be “a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself.”“But that’s what society does to us,” she said.

“We actually finally start 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.”Rumors of a rift between the Obamas exploded in January after the former president showed up to Trump’s inauguration and President Jimmy Carter’s funeral without his wife by his side.As the gossip mill went into overdrive, it was revealed that Michelle was on an extended break in Hawaii when the funeral was held, and that she opted out of Trump’s swearing-in to avoid fake pleasantries.Michelle acknowledged she is now more in control of her calendar given she’s no longer tied to the White House and the couple’s two daughters — Malia, 26, and ...