‘I Actually Feel Sorry for Barack’: Michelle Obama Says She’s In Therapy to Sort Through ‘Guilt’ Weeks After Barack Reveals ‘Deep Deficit’ in Their Marriage
Michelle Obama needs all the help she can get while adjusting to living life on her own terms years after leaving the White House
When she appeared on Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast, the former first lady revealed that she has been leaning on someone other than her husband Barack Obama for guidance.
During the April 28 discussion, which included her brother Craig Robinson, Michelle, 60, spoke about the rewarding effects she has experienced by seeking counsel from vetted confidantes throughout her life. “Therapy is…a validation,” she said.
The author of “The Light We Carry” shared, “At this phase in life, I’m in therapy right now because I’m transitioning. … I finished a really hard thing in my life with my family intact. I’m an empty-nester; my girls are in, you know they’ve been launched, and now for the first time, as I’ve said before, every choice that I’m making is completely mine.”
The former attorney continued, “I now don’t have the excuse of, ‘Well, my kids need this’ or ‘My husband needs that’ or ‘The country needs that.’ So, how do I think about this next phase? … Let me unwind old habits, let me sort through some old guilt that I’ve been carrying around. … I believe this is a whole other phase in life for me.”
But her comments about seeking therapy have further fueled divorce speculation. A skeptic wrote online, “Yep those sound like pre-divorce statements. Notice the unending pronouns of I, me, I, my, me, I, I, myself, me, I… Not one single use of ‘us’ or ‘we.’”
Someone else critically responded to her “”next phases” revelations with, “I think Michelle and Barack are basically already divorced. It’s unclear whether they will ever make it official. Sad, but it’s their own business.”
However, other people appeared sympathetic towards her family. “I actually feel sorry for Barack. She’s insufferable,” remarked one person. A second individual said, “I feel sorry for Malishia and the cute one.” A third commenter feared that her honesty could lead to personal turmoil.
That individual cautioned, “If she keeps talking the family business out loud they will be divorced in a year. Needs to be quiet. Not sure why she is on every podcast when she knows anything she says will be reported as an attack on her husband. Needs to be quiet.”
Barack and Michelle have been married since 1992 and are parents to daughters Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23.
In recent months, the couple has seldom been spotted together.
On Michelle and Robinson’s “In My Opinion” podcast, the former attorney explained, “My decision to make choices at the beginning of this year that suited me were met with such ridicule and criticism,” as well as hearsay that her marriage was in ruins.
In the May 1 episode of “IMO,” she hit back at the claims about her relationship. The Chicago native asserted, “If I were having problems with my husband, everybody would know about it.”
For his part, Barack recently admitted he’s in a “deep deficit” with his wife after leaving the White House, but that he is making up for lost times with fun outings. In April, he was spotted at dinner with Michelle and on a separate occasion, Barack met with their daughters.