Rumors have swirled in recent weeks of a growing tension between former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, as previously reported by The Horn News.
Initial speculation that their marriage was in trouble came after Michelle Obama refused to be seen at recent presidential events with her husband — specifically the funeral of the late former President Jimmy Carter and the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Now the power couple continues to be living what appears to be separate lives, as reports have surfaced this week that Barack has been out partying without Michelle.
As first reported by media outlet TMZ, Barack sat courtside at a Los Angeles Clippers game this — but notably without his wife, Michelle.
Instead, Obama, a huge basketball fan, was spotted with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his wife, Connie Snyder, according to the report.
Barack Obama Attends L.A. Clippers Game Without Wife Michelle | Click to read more 👇 https://t.co/GnJGp4D5Xt
— TMZ (@TMZ) March 6, 2025
When his attendance was announced on the big screen at the brand new Intuit Dome, Obama jumped to his feet and waved as the crowd gave him a standing ovation.
The night before the Clippers game, Barack was spotted out eating a fancy dinner at Anajak Thai restaurant in Sherman Oaks with his daughters Malia and Sasha.
Michelle did not attend, according to TMZ.
Barack’s ritzy outings in Los Angeles are fueling more specuation that he and Michelle’s marriage is on the rocks as the two continue to attend public events separately.
As previously noted, Barack, 63, attended President Trump’s second inauguration alone in January after Michelle opted to not attend.
Michelle was also not with her husband at President Jimmy Carter’s funeral at Washington National Cathedral in DC, with reports saying she decided to remain “in Hawaii on an extended holiday vacation” instead.
Neither has come out publically and addressed the swirling rumors.
The Former First Lady recently spoke about Barack on her Instagram account to announce that The Obama Presidential Center would finally be honoring the late Hadiya Pendleton.
Pendleton, an honor roll student, was murdered in 2013 just days after performing with her majorette squad at the second inauguration of her husband, Barack.
The Obama’s announced they will be opening a memorial garden in her honor inside Barack’s presidential center in Chicago in the coming years.
“[Hadiya] had an extraordinary light that will not be forgotten, and Barack and I look forward to honoring her memory,” Michelle Obama’s social media message said.
In a message shared directly to the center’s website, Michelle also referenced Barack as “my husband.”
The cryptic use of language from Michelle was the first time she’s spoken of her husband publicly since rumors first began swirling about a potential split.
But other D.C. insiders still believe that there’s more to the story.
Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late John McCain, and top Washington-insider reporter Tara Palmieri fueled even more speculation that the beloved Democratic power couple are indeed heading down the road for a potentially shocking divorce.
“I have been hearing this rumor that the Obamas are getting a divorce by reputable people. I’m not talking about TMZ. I’m not talking about Perez Hilton… I’m talking about like very serious journalists telling me that they’re hearing that the Obama divorce rumors are true,” said McCain.
Palmieri chimed in, saying: “We’ve heard that for a long time, like I just heard that they live separate lives.”
Meghan McCain Exacerbates Obama Divorce Rumors: 'They Live Separate Lives': The marital status of the Obamas is under scrutiny. https://t.co/CRNgseM8L7 pic.twitter.com/P7ChvFBenj
— The Western Journal (@WestJournalism) January 23, 2025
During her SiriusXM show “The Megyn Kelly Show”, the former Fox star also touched on the rumors herself.
“I do not know whether this is true at all. But if it is true, it truly would be a political earthquake in Democrat circles, nevermind America. I don’t remember a presidential divorce in modern history,” Kelly said.
Kelly pointed to an unflattering photo that Barack Obama posted to social media recently.
“Did you see the post he put out to celebrate for their anniversary? He chose the least attractive photo of her that’s ever been released. I mean, this is just wrong,” Kelly said.
Kelly noted that the former First Lady “can look very nice in a photograph” but that the photo her husband sent out did not do her justice.
“They’re about 20 feet apart in this intimate dinner. And he looks great. This is classic. He’s like, this is a great picture. He’s got the 1000 watt smile. She looks terrible.”
Additionally, last October, actress Jennifer Aniston publicly shut down “absolutely untrue” claims by a gossip magazine that she and Barack were in a relationship.
However, the news reportedly made Michelle feel ‘betrayed.’
The rumor was compounded by the hosts of a popular pop culture podcast Who? Weekly, which claimed that the Obamas were “living separate lives” while he and Jennifer were having an affair.
The former ‘Friends’ star shot down the rumors at the time, saying:
“I’ve met him once. I know Michelle more than him.”
Over the years, the couple has spoken candidly about their martial struggles, with Michelle previously describing the “resentment” she had over having to put her career on hold to be a mother while Barack’s continued to flourish.
And tensions only grew during their time in the White House – thanks to the immense “pressure” that came with needing to get everything right and be “on” at every moment, as well as Barack’s focus on his work rather than his family.