Barack Obama almost ‘tears up’ as he and wife Michelle address divorce rumours with brutally honest admission

Barack Obama got emotional during a recent podcast appearance with his wife Michelle as the duo addressed the divorce rumours that have been circulating.

For those not up to speed, the former United States President appeared on his wife’s IMO podcast on Wednesday (16 July), which she hosts with her brother Craig Robinson.

For some time now, the couple have been plagued with divorce rumours due to how open and honest they are about the struggles they’ve faced during their relationship.

In 2022, the former first lady admitted to CBS that when their daughters - Malia, 27, and Sasha, 24 - were young, she ‘couldn’t stand’ her husband.

Michelle said at the time: “People think I'm being catty by saying this - it's like, there were 10 years where I couldn't stand my husband.”

"And guess when it happened? When those kids were little."

A year later, when discussing his time as President and how things changed when he left the Oval Office, Barack hinted that it helped their relationship.

Michelle and Barack Obama got candid about the highs and lows of their marriage in a new podcast episode (Andrew Harnik / Getty Images)

He told CBS Mornings: "Let me just say this: It sure helps to be out of the White House and to have a little more time with her [Michelle]."

"I did not fully appreciate, I think - as engaged of a father as I was - the degree of stress and tension for her knowing that not just me and Michelle were under scrutiny and in this strange environment, but that we were raising our daughters in a kind of situation that just wasn't normal."

And the duo were quick to make light of it all during the recent podcast episode, with a jokingly brutal admission from Barack thrown into the mix.

As Barack was welcomed to the podcast, Robinson feigned shock as he joked: “What, you guys like each other?,” to which Michelle replied: "Oh, yeah, the rumour mill."

The former president then jested: “She took me back! It was touch and go for a while."

But, quite quickly, the conversation turned serious as Michelle attempted to shut down the rumours for good.

She told listeners: "There hasn't been one moment in our marriage where I thought about quitting my man. And we've had some really hard times.

The couple have two children together - Sasha and Malia (Instagram/michelleobama)

"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."

Getting emotional at the heartfelt words from his wife, Barack jumped in with: “Okay, don’t make me cry right at the beginning of the show, don’t let me start tearing up now.”

Michelle then tried to bring the lighthearted mood back as she joked: “Welcome to IMO. Get you all teared up.”

She added: “See, but this is why I can’t talk. You can take the hard stuff but when I start talking about the sweet stuff you’re like stop, no, I can’t do it.”

But her husband simply replied: “I love it, I’m enjoying it.”

Fans in the comments of the YouTube video praised the couple for their honesty, writing: “This warms my heart. Normal conversation. Real people” and “The way they dealt with the nonsensical rumours right at the start - fantastic, classy.”

A third gushed: “Having Barack was incredible - the real gift was watching you two reflect together. Please do a part two.”

They added: “There's not enough conversations like this, we need more examples of healthy discussion, authenticity, and loving mutuality in partnership!”

Hear, hear!