Are the Obamas Really Getting a Divorce?

A perspective you might not have heard

In the era of misinformation, anyone, anywhere can spread lies and when these mistruths are amplified millions of times through the megaphone of social media, people believe they are true.

In 2014, someone floated a rumor that Jennifer Aniston and Barack Obama were having an affair. A few weeks ago, that same rumor resurfaced with tonnes of MAGA influencers gleefully fabricating stories that since Michelle Obama wasn’t at President Carter’s memorial or not coming to Trump’s inauguration, the Obama marriage was in trouble and they were getting a divorce. Like really folks, don’t you have anything better to do?

Dubious papers like the Daily Mail went on to show photos of the couple where Michelle Obama appeared unhappy. The goal was to instill doubt as to the strength of the Obamas’ bond.

While some may see this as innocent gossip, as a Black woman, I have another perspective. You see, Michelle Obama is America’s “darling”. She is loved. Both of her books, “Becoming” and “The Light We Carry” are bestsellers. Many Americans wanted her to run for president. The far right hate Michelle Obama and haven’t been able to dislodge her from people’s hearts. Even when Michelle Obama criticized Trump while campaigning for Kamala Harris last October, the then co-chair of his campaign and now White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, told him to hold back on criticizing her. Trump did go on to call Michelle Obama “nasty”, but you’ll notice he didn’t disparage her as much as he has others.

Now, with Trump back in the White House, one of the main objectives of MAGA and the far right will be to make the American people see Michelle Obama in a bad light. Just observe what’s going to happen over the coming months — they will do anything to pass her off as the “angry” Black woman, the “over-emotional” Black woman, the “crazy” Black woman. They cannot stand how she sways the hearts of so many Americans, so they will stop at nothing to destroy her or more, what she represents: a strong, intelligent and courageous Black woman who would do a much better job at running the country than Trump.

And this is what has triggered the fake narratives around an Obama divorce. The stories say that she is unhappy with her husband for speaking to Trump during late President Carter’s funeral and angry at him for going to Trump’s inauguration. They are portraying her as someone who is uncompromising and unhinged, someone who doesn’t respect traditions, someone who is off track. From their perspective, Barack Obama is making an effort to be civil while Michelle Obama isn’t. There must be something wrong with her — and that’s why they’re having a divorce.

The reality though is that none of this is true. The Obamas are not in the process of having a divorce. The fact that Michelle Obama can opt out of Carter’s funeral because she isn’t comfortable sitting next to Trump and that Barack Obama can go and engage with Trump shows that the Obama’s relationship is a strong one where they respect each other’s choices. He understood how difficult it would be for her to be there and she understood how important it was for him to be there. That is the sign of a strong marriage — where one person doesn’t impose their wishes on another.

The fact that the media and unscrupulous influencers would build a false and contorted narrative around this is ridiculous. It speaks to a larger agenda of wanting to undermine Michelle Obama because they see her as a threat.

After spreading all their lies about the Obamas, many outlets were forced to revise their narratives when Barack Obama published a lovely tribute to Michelle Obama on her birthday last week. It read: “Happy birthday to the love of my life, @MichelleObama. You fill every room with warmth, wisdom, humor, and grace — and you look good doing it. I’m so lucky to be able to take on life’s adventures with you. Love you!”

It shut up some of the rumor mongers, but some influencers still maintained that the Obamas would announce their divorce after Trump’s inauguration. I sincerely wonder how dumb you have to be to not see that the Obamas are in it for life. They’ve been through some of life’s most challenging trials together and stayed together — whether it be their struggles to have children, the racism and hatred they faced when he was president or living through four years of a Trump presidency that tried to undo everything that they stood for or created. Theirs is a solid relationship and a beautiful love story our grandchildren will read about in the history books.

So, to answer my initial question at the start of this piece: Are The Obamas Really Getting A Divorce? My answer would be a resounding “No, not now, not ever”.

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