Michelle Obama has acknowledged that her brother Craig Robinson’s first marriage had some “red flags.” Robinson, who was previously married to Janis Robinson, opened up about the tragic details of his marriage. The ex-couple eventually went their separate ways in 2000.
Craig Robinson is Michelle Obama’s older brother. The former first lady and her brother have a two-year age gap. Robinson, who is a sports executive, currently serves as the executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Craig Robinson, NCAA Division 1 basketball coach is Michelle Obama’s brother.
Oh…I wasn’t expecting this, or was I? pic.twitter.com/uHjOUCThs0
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He was also a star forward for Princeton’s basketball team when he attended the Ivy League school. Leslie, whom he shares with his ex, followed Robinson’s footprints by attending Princeton University and joining the basketball team. She became the first woman from an Ivy League to be drafted from the WNBA in almost twenty years.
Robinson is happily married to Kelly McCrum now. The two met at the NCAA March Madness Final Four after a year of Robinson’s split from his first wife. The two decided to get married in 2006 around their friends and family. The couple is co-parents to their two sons, Austin and Aaron.
Craig also shares two kids with his ex-wife Janis. The ex-couple share their son Avery and daughter Leslie from their marriage. The father of four recently opened up about how he struggled in his first marriage.
Michelle and Craig are co-hosts on their podcast titled IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson. During one of the episodes, the siblings were recalling the times that they did not reach out to each other during a particularly difficult time.
Robinson revealed how his first divorce was when he actively decided not to reach out to Michelle or the rest of his family. “I didn’t tell my sister about it, or my mom, or anybody close to me,” he shared. Craig confessed that the reason why he didn’t reach out to Michelle was because he was sure his sister would not be able to “get over it.”
The sports executive revealed how he hid the complications of his first marriage from his family even after it was over. He explained how he did not want to risk ruining Janis’ relationship with his family just in case they ever decided to get back together.
Robinson noted how his sister “was so mad that I hadn’t told her and so disappointed that I vowed that I would never not tell her — hold anything from you.” He has also previously addressed the split in an interview with Graham Bensinger.
Michelle Obama enjoying good weather with her brother. pic.twitter.com/TJl9ikmgpH
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During the interview, Bensinger described how the split between Craig and Janis was bitter. “Your ex-wife, still don’t talk ’till this day. I guess there was a substance abuse problem,” the host noted. The journalist also pointed to the fact that the sports executive had custody of their kids.
“You can’t ever tell what your situation is going to end up — even if it starts out great. And, umm, you have to be adaptable,” Robinson said in response. Michelle has shared how she saw some potential “red flags.” in her brother’s marriage despite him not sharing the details.
