In a powerful and deeply personal conversation, former First Lady Michelle Obama made it clear: she’s no longer going high for other people — especially when it compromises her well-being.
On the April 23 episode of her podcast IMO With Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, which she co-hosts with her brother, Obama opened up for the first time about skipping former President Donald Trump’s second inauguration. Speaking with actor Taraji P. Henson, the Becoming author pushed back against viral rumors suggesting her absence signaled a crumbling marriage to former President Barack Obama.
“My decision to skip the inauguration — or to make choices at the beginning of this year that suited me — were met with such ridicule and criticism,” Obama said. “People couldn’t believe I was saying no for any reason other than my marriage falling apart.”
But her decision, she emphasized, was rooted in self-preservation. “It took everything in my power to not do what was ‘right’ for others but to do what was right for me.”
Obama admitted she had to “trick” herself into skipping the event by telling her team not to prepare a dress. “It started with not having anything to wear,” she laughed. “Because it’s so easy to just do the ‘right thing.’”
Therapy, she said, has helped her redefine her relationship with obligation and public perception. “We made it through. We got out alive,” she said of her family’s time in the White House. “But what happened to me?”
Now, she’s focused on teaching her daughters — and young women everywhere — the power of “no.” “It’s a muscle,” she said. “And I’m just now starting to build it.”
Earlier this year, Obama also dismissed divorce rumors during a podcast interview with actress Sophia Bush, saying people struggle to accept that a woman might just be making decisions for herself. On Valentine’s Day, she posted a defiant tribute to Barack on Instagram, calling him “my rock.”
After years of prioritizing appearances, Michelle Obama is reclaiming her voice — and her choices.
