Former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama had a hearty laugh over the divorce rumours that have been doing the rounds for some time now.
Barack joined host Michelle and his brother-in-law, the co-host Craig Robinson on Wednesday for an episode of the siblings’ podcast, “IMO.”
Although the episode’s topic was parenting young men, the Obamas and Robinson began their discussion by joking about the reports that their long-standing marriage is in jeopardy.
“Wait, you guys like each other?” Robinson joked when Barack began to speak, it prompted Michelle to reply, “Oh yeah, the rumor mill.”
“She took me back. It was touch and go for a while,” continuing the joke Barack replied.
“It’s so nice to have you both in the same room together,” Robinson continued. His sister responded by saying: “I know, ‘cause when we aren’t, folks think we’re divorced.”
The former president’s solo attendance at several high-profile events earlier this year, such as the funeral of former US President Jimmy Carter and US President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, sparked speculation about the marital status of the former first couple.
Since then, Michelle has publicly discussed her decision to skip several events that she may have been expected to attend as a former first lady, saying that she feels free to make her own decisions for the first time in her life now that her husband is no longer in public service and her two daughters are grown.
“This stage in life for me is the first time that I have been completely free,” she said in a previous “IMO” episode that aired July 9.
During the “IMO” episode on Wednesday, the former first lady went on to affirm that her marriage is good.
“There hasn’t been one moment in our marriage where I thought about quitting my man. And we’ve had some really hard times,” Michelle said. “We have had a lot of fun times, a lot of adventures, and I have become a better person because of the man I’m married to.”
Barack and Michelle Obama got married in Chicago in 1992 and share two daughters Malia, 27, and Sasha, 24.
The former president posted a picture of himself and his wife on Instagram on Valentine’s Day this year, writing, “Thirty-two years together and you still take my breath away.”
In her own post, Michelle included the same image and wrote, “If there’s one person I can always count on, it’s you, @BarackObama. You’re my rock. Always have been. Always will be.”