Michelle Obama's recent public absences are fueling rumors of a rift in her marriage to President Barack Obama, with some questioning if the couple are headed for divorce.
While the Obamas normally put on a united front, Michelle is refusing to attend President Trump's inauguration on Monday.
"Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration," the Obamas said.
It's the second major D.C. ceremony Michelle will miss, after skipping Jimmy Carter's state funeral earlier this month.
Unlike her husband, Michelle has no interest in standing on ceremony by attending the inauguration - given her well-publicized distaste for the president-elect.
"There's no overstating her feelings about [Trump]. She's not one to plaster on a pleasant face and pretend for protocol's sake," one source told People. "Michelle doesn't do anything because it's expected or it's protocol or it's tradition."
Never one to follow tradition, Michelle has sometimes overshadowed her husband throughout their years in the spotlight.
While some see signs of martial trouble in her recent public absences, others see a political message - one that is clearly at odds with her husband's wishes to respect tradition.
"An Obama divorce would not be on my 2025 predictions but it might happen," one person wrote on X.
"I don't know anything about their marriage, but it's very clear to me that Michelle Obama is making a very specific *political* statement with these absences. She would never choose Jimmy Carter's funeral to announce her divorce. Let's be sensible here," another wrote on X.
Whether there is anything to rumors of divorce, Michelle has made no secret of her ambivalent feelings about marriage and the high value she places on personal autonomy.
"Too many young people are rushing to check the box of marriage before they even know who they are, and then they're surprised when they pick the wrong person, or they don't know how to struggle through hard times," she once confessed.
Born Michelle Robinson, Obama met her husband at a law firm in Chicago. Their marriage has had its rough patches, with Michelle struggling early on to place her own ambitions on the back burner.
She admitted on her podcast to wanting to "push Barack out of the window" at times, but she insists her marriage is "strong" despite its challenges.
"You've got to know that there are going to be times, long periods of time, when you can't stand each other," she said.
"The feelings will be intense. But that doesn't mean you quit and these periods can last a long time - they can last years."
"'[Me and Barack] have a very strong marriage. If I had given up on it, if I had walked away from it, in those tough times, then I would've missed all the beauty that was there as well.'
