Marital Status for Former First Couple

Recent questions concern the marital status of Barack and Michelle Obama.

Married since 1992, and with their daughters Malia (born in 1998) and Sasha (b. 2001) now adults, the 44th U.S. president (b. 1961) and former first lady (b. 1964) are now subject of rumors about their status.

Michelle was absent at both the funeral for 39th U.S. president Jimmy Carter and the inauguration for the re-elected 45th and 47th U.S. president Donald Trump.

This has people—and the media—questioning if there is trouble in the marriage of the Obamas.

I find it credible…more so given Michelle’s absence at Carter’s funeral. Her absence at Trump’s inauguration can be explained as disapproval and displeasure. That she was not willing to attend. But to be absent at Carter’s funeral, where she could have been seated away from Trump, stands out. 

It will be interesting to see if anything is coming up.

It would not surprise me if they are in trouble. Marriages, even ones which lasted more than 30 years, have been known to end. And a lot of what we learn, historically, is information not revealed until much later. A divorce would be the first in U.S. history for a former first couple. If that is to materialize, I would not be surprised if it turns out—as this publishing date—they may be separated.