Michelle Obama has spoken out after rumours circulated that her marriage was struggling as she was not at former US president Jimmy Carter’s funeral and Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The former first lady explained in a podcast episode with actress Sophia Bush that it was her personal decision to miss the two major events.
Former president Barack Obama attended Carter’s state funeral without his wife on January 9.
Speaking about the moment in the podcast on Tuesday, Michelle Obama said: “We as women, I think we struggle with disappointing people.
“So much so that this year people… couldn't even fathom that I was making a choice for myself.
“They had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing.”
All five living presidents and their partners were seen at the event, except Michelle Obama.
Her advisers later told CNN that she had a scheduling conflict and was in Hawaii on an extended holiday.
“This couldn't be a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself, right?” Obama continued on the podcast. “That's what society does to us.”
Rumours spiralled following Carter’s funeral, including the bizarre theory that Barack Obama was linked with Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston.
The Friends star addressed the story back in October during an appearance on chat show host Jimmy Kimmel’s show.
“Of all the calls you get from your publicist where you're just like ‘Oh, no, what's it gonna be?’ or you get an email saying some cheesy tabloid is gonna make up a story — and then it's that…I was not mad at it!” she laughed, before clarifying that the story is “absolutely untrue” and she has only met Obama once.
Days after the funeral, the Obamas’ office released a statement saying that Michelle would be absent from Trump’s inauguration.
They did not provide a reason and appeared to break tradition, although Donald and Melania Trump did not attend Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021.
