Barack Obama revealed that he has been ‘digging himself out of a hole’ with his wife Michelle after his political career dominated their family life during two terms in The White House.
The former president was being interviewed by historian David Olusoga at The O2 Arena in London during his European speaking tour when he was asked what he’d been up to in the past few years.
‘I was digging myself out of the hole I found myself with Michelle. Now I’m at about level ground,’ he said.
Obama has made similar comments about his marital status earlier this month amid unverified rumors that the former first couple’s relationship had been on the rocks.
Barack joked that he had spent much of his time since leaving office trying to appease his wife, which he described as ‘challenging.’
‘I have spent over eight years now trying to dig myself out of a hole with Michelle,’ he said during an appearance in Pennsylvania.
‘And that’s been challenging, but I feel like I’m making progress. I’m almost breaking even at the moment.’
Barack Obama revealed that he and wife Michelle had been going through struggles and that he’d been ‘digging himself out of a hole’ with the former first lady
The two have faced rumors about their marriage in recent years, ones they have publicly scoffed at
The pair were seen together for the first time in two months in Portofino, Italy, aboard their pal Steven Spielberg‘s $250million superyacht over the weekend.
They notably arrived separate from one another, however, with photographers catching a solo Michelle, 61, getting onto the luxurious, 357-foot boat via a tender ahead of her husband.
This marks the first time the couple had been seen together since they sat down for an astonishing joint interview on Michelle’s podcast back in July, during which they finally addressed the state of their marriage.
‘What, you guys like each other?’ Michelle’s brother and co-host Craig Robinson joked, before Michelle replied: ‘Oh yeah, the rumor mill.’
‘She took me back!’ Barack light-heartedly chimed in, adding: ‘It was touch and go for awhile.’
The former first lady said it was nice to be in the same room as her husband, sassily telling her brother: ‘When we aren’t, folks think we’re divorced.’
Michelle then made an admission about her relationship with her husband of almost 33 years.
‘There hasn’t been one moment in our marriage where I thought about quitting my man,’ she said passionately.
Michelle Obama arrives on Steven Spielberg’s yacht in Portofino, Italy, ahead of her husband last weekend
Later on, Barack Obama, 64, arrives in the picturesque Italian seaside village with security. It was the first time they’d been seen together since last July
‘And we’ve had some really hard times. So we had a lot of fun times, a lot of adventures, and I have become a better person because of the man I’m married to.’
Barack admitted he missed a lot of the speculation, and he was largely unaware of what people were saying.
‘These are the kinds of things that I just miss, right? So I don’t even know this stuff’s going on,’ he confessed.
‘And then somebody will mention it to me and I’m all like, ‘what are you talking about?”
The Obamas have been married for almost 33 years and share daughters, Malia, 27, and Sasha, 24.
Rumors surrounding the Obamas’ relationship began when Michelle skipped several high-profile events, including Donald Trump’s inauguration and former president Jimmy Carter’s funeral.
The former first lady had also stoked the fire by making remarks that she felt ‘free’ for the first time in her life.
She shared the insight about being an empty nester with a husband who is no longer serving as the President of the United States on Wednesday’s episode of her podcast, IMO, which she hosts with older brother Craig Robinson.
The former President of the United States, 63, was a guest on his wife’s podcast IMO, which she co-hosts with her brother Craig Robinson, with the pair wasting no time in addressing the rumors of their separation
‘I mean at this stage in life for me, personally, is the first time I’ve been completely free,’ the mother-of-two told guest Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
‘There’s been a release where every choice I make is not about my husband, not about his career, not about my family, not about what my kids need or where they’re going, it’s totally about me,’ she admitted, quipping: ‘This is when we start living ladies.’
The former president, known for picking his political battles carefully since leaving office, recently jumped into the fray slamming the Trump administration for allegedly strong-arming media companies into silencing dissenting voices.
‘After years of complaining about cancel culture,’ Obama wrote on BlueSky, ‘the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.’
This followed Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension by ABC after alleged strong-arming from the FCC.
‘This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent,’ he continued. ‘And media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it.’
Obama linked to a New York Times piece by columnist David French defending the First Amendment.
‘This commentary offers a clear, powerful statement of why freedom of speech is at the heart of democracy and must be defended – whether the speaker is Charlie Kirk or Jimmy Kimmel, MAGA supporters or MAGA opponents.’
The Obamas have been married for almost 33 years and share daughters, Malia, 27, and Sasha, 24
The former president, known for picking his political battles carefully since leaving office, recently jumped into the fray slamming the Trump administration for allegedly strong-arming media companies into silencing dissenting voices
Yet during his presidency, his administration was accused of surveilling journalists, weaponizing the IRS, and cheering the de-platforming of conservative commentators.
Obama broke his silence again in August to criticize his presidential successor while noting Trump’s rampant militarization of police ‘puts the liberties of all Americans at risk.’
‘This interview, which is also available to listen to as a podcast, provides a useful overview of some of the dangerous trends we’ve been seeing in recent months regarding federalization and militarization of state and local police functions,’ Obama wrote on X.
The former president attached a New York Times op-ed by Ezra Klein that details how cities and states have begun to militarize their police under Trump.
‘The erosion of basic principles like due process and the expanding use of our military on domestic soil puts the liberties of all Americans at risk, and should concern democrats and republicans alike.’
He’s also been dealing with skyrocketing budgets over his soon-to-be presidential library in Chicago.
The center’s staggering $850 million cost has been fueled by soaring operational budgets and huge salaries for executives, a new financial report has revealed.
Situated in the South Side of Chicago in Jackson Park, the towering grey monolith-like property will serve as the headquarters of the Obama Foundation and will house a museum, library and education center dedicated to his eight years as president.
It was initially estimated to cost $300 million, before the budget was revised to $500 million in 2017, and then again to $700 million in 2021.
In an annual financial disclosure form released last week, the foundation reported spending an extra $90 million to prepare exhibits and $40 million in operating costs for the first year alone.
Executives at the center raked in a total of $6.1 million and are among the best paid of all cultural centers in the nation, with CEO Valerie Jarrett paid $740,000 last year.
OPC Executive Vice President Robbin Cohen earned $610,195 and Tina Chen, the organization’s chief legal and people officer, earned about $425,000.
Although the cost of all artworks is not clear, the museum recently installed an 83-foot painted glass window by artist Julie Mehretu to its exterior to beautify the grey building’s exterior.
Despite the soaring costs of the site, fundraising to Obama’s foundation has stayed high and surpassed $1 billion thanks to a $195 million cash injection last year, the foundation said in its recent financial report.
