Itās been eight years since former first lady Michelle Obama left the White House and sheās still grousing about how hard it was to follow Barack as he ascended to the highest office in the land.
The 61-year-old, who has been married to her husband since 1992, admitted her first reaction was āno way,ā when she learned that Barack was running for the White House, in the debut episode of her podcast āIMOā with her brother, Craig Robinson, which premiered on Wednesday.
āI couldnāt have gotten through eight years in the White House without my big brother,ā Michelle said, referring to Craig,Ā 62, executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Michelle Obamaās complaints come amid questions about the health of the Obamasā marriage, as theyāve barely been seen together for months.
āBeing married to the president of the UnitedĀ States [is a] thing that none of us kind of banked on. We knew Barack was smart and ambitious, but, you know,ā she went on.
āYou talked me into supporting his run,ā she said, referring to Craig.
āAnd he [Barack] was smart enough to know that he needed to come to you and sell you on the idea. Because I was definitely like, no, no way,ā Michelle said on the podcast.
Michelle, who has never made any secret of her dislike for politics, also brought up her frustrations with her husbandās constant tardiness when they started dating at the Chicago-based law firm Sidley Austin.
āBarack had to adjust to what āon timeā was,ā she said. āYou know, Iāve got this husband who, when itās time to leave, heās getting up and going to the bathroom. And I was like, dude, like three oāclock departure means youāve done all that. Itās like, donāt start looking for your glasses, you know, at the three oāclock departure,ā she said, before admitting, āheās improved over 30 years of marriage.ā
Robinson spoke about his divorce during the episode as the two siblings discussed their childhood on the South Side of Chicago.
Michelle, who has published two non-fiction books since leaving the White House in 2017, also opened up about her irritation at the former presidentās lack of deep conversations with his ābuddies,ā with whom he can spend up to five hours on the golf course.
āMy husband is like, āwhat are you talking about all day?’ā she told writer and actress Issa Rae in the second episode of her podcast, which premiered on the same day.
Obama ādoes not fully understandā the emotional complexities of female friendships, she added.
Michelle is set to interview a number of different guests, including Seth Rogen and Keke Palmer, while she and her brother offer advice from their own experiences.
Some guests, such as Tyler Perry, appeared on the former first ladyās previous project, āThe Michelle Obama Podcast.ā
The pair say they are not going to discuss current affairs on āIMO,ā which stands for āin my opinion.ā
It follows months of speculation about Barack and Michelleās marriage, including wild, unfounded rumors that he was dating actress Jennifer Aniston.
Aniston, 56, said she had only āmet him once,ā as she wasĀ forced to deny the romance rumorsĀ on an appearance on āJimmy Kimmel Live.ā
āI know Michelle more than him,ā the former āFriendsā star said.
Obama was spotted dining alone at a DC restaurantĀ in January where he received a loud ovation.
Michelleās absence was also notable at both the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter andĀ President Trumpās inauguration, which Barack Obama attended.
TheĀ Obamas shared a loved-up Valentineās Day selfieĀ last month in a post on X, with Michelle describing her husband as āmy rockā in a separate post.
But last week,Ā Barack was seen at a Los Angeles Clippers game without Michelle, leading to further speculation about the couple.