Former First Lady Michelle Obama and her husband, Barack Obama, have made headlines recently due to nasty stories of alleged divorce. The speculation began when Michelle Obama was not present at President Donald Trump‘s inaugural ceremony in January 2025, Followed by her absence from former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral.
While her absence fueled speculations that Michelle hated Trump and that things were not going well between the couple, she recently shut down the bizarre whispers in a candid conversation on Sophia Bush’s podcast, ‘Work in Progress.’
As per HELLO Magazine, Michelle Obama’s brother, Craig Robinson, recently spoke about a candid look into the early days of their relationship. On their joint podcast, IMO, The podcast’s primary goal is to “have thoughtful conversations about life,” as revealed by Michelle.
The basketball coach revealed that he didn’t think the romance would last. He expressed that when he heard that the former first lady was dating a guy named Barack, he laughed it off and thought it would be merely another short-term relationship of hers. Although Michelle cut in between and said, “That’s not true. I’ve had many long-term boyfriends.”
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Robinson responded, “I wouldn’t call those guys boyfriends.” However, he changed his opinion after he realized Barack was the perfect match for his sister. This happens when the duo plays an intense basketball game to judge his skills, a tactic their father taught them to evaluate someone’s character. “You can really tell a lot about a person by how they play basketball,” Craig noted.
Although Craig admitted he wasn’t eager to play opposite Barack when Michelle Obama asked him to, he was impressed once both hit the court. ‘Would you mind, Craig, taking him to play?’ And at first, I said, ‘No way, I’m not going to do your dirty work for you. If he turns out to be a bad dude, I’m not going to be the one to say,” the podcast host chuckled and said.
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Furthermore, Robinson praised his court skills and said that Barack Obama was left-handed and could not go right during the game. Yet, he fit in and did a good job. That experience helped seal Craig’s approval, and he reported back to Michelle with a thumbs-up. The rest, as they say, was pure faith and luck.
Barack and Michelle met in 1989 at a law firm in Chicago. Michelle was assigned as his mentor during his internship. While initially hesitant to date him, Michelle eventually agreed, and their bond progressed. The couple married on October 3, 1992, and became proud parents to daughters Malia Ann (1998) and Sasha (2001), who grew up under the spotlight during Barack Obama’s presidency from 2009 to 2017.
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Meanwhile, the siblings, Michelle and Craig, now newly minted podcast co-hosts, have a two-year age gap. Craig was born in 1962 and is older than Michelle, who was born in 1964. He has been a bright guy since his college days. The Princeton graduate also left a mark on the college’s basketball history. He became the fourth all-time leading scorer and then pursued a successful career in the sport.
