Sometimes, family knows best.
And this may have proven to be the case in the continuing saga of rumors circulating around the marriage of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama.
In a shocking admission, Michelle Obama’s brother, Craig Robinson, vocally said that he was skeptical about his sister’s relationship with Barack when the couple began dating.
Michelle Obama's brother, Craig Robinson, didn't think much of her relationship with Barack, giving it just a month – years before their divorce rumors. Click to read more👇 https://t.co/VMqBoZSrsB
— Radar Online (@radar_online) April 16, 2025
“So Mich starts to date Barack, and we don’t know who this guy is, we’re just like, ‘Barack? Who’s got a name like Barack?’” Robinson revealed on Wednesday’s episode of his and Michelle’s “IMO” podcast.
“And I’m thinking it’s gonna last a month like most of your relationships.”
Michelle, took offense to her brother’s remarks, arguing, “That’s not true. I’ve had many a long-term boyfriend.”
“I wouldn’t call those guys boyfriends,” Robinson, said in response to his sister.
Craig then recalled their mother Miriam Robinson’s reaction when Michelle brought Barack over to the house to meet them.
“I remember mom’s first thing was, ‘Oh, at least he’s tall!’” he shared.
“That was her first thing she said, because Mich was usually posting up her other boyfriends.” (a reference to her height)
However, Craig still wasn’t convinced, admitting, “And I said to myself, ‘Too bad it’s not going to last.’”
However, Michelle ultimately proved her brother wrong. She and Barack married in October 1992, and they share two daughters, Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23.
Craig’s revelation on the podcast came after Michelle continues to deflect rumors that she and the former president were headed for divorce after 32 years of marriage.
The couple became the subject of divorce speculation after Barack attended several high-profile events without his wife by side, including the funeral of former president Jimmy Carter and the inaguration of President Donald Trump.
Michelle recently addressed her absence from being with Barack on Sophia Bush’s “Work in Progress” podcast earlier this month, explaining why she chose to take a step back from the spotlight.
“The interesting thing is that when I say ‘no,’ for the most part, people are like, ‘I get it,’ and I’m OK,” Michelle said.
“And that’s the thing that we as women struggle with — disappointing people,” the former first lady continued.
“So much so, that people, they couldn’t even fathom that I was making a choice for myself, that they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing.”
Take a listen —
However, this is not the first time that Michell Obama has used an online forum to discuss things she disapproves of with Barack.
She recently discussed on her podcast at length a major pet peeve with her husband. A habit that evidently continues to get on her nerves.
According to the former first lady, her husband has an issue of being on time and punctual.
“Barack, you know, he had to adjust to what ‘on time’ was for me,” Obama told Robinson.
“Because he was on that island time,” Robinson interjected, referring to the former president’s Hawaiian roots.
Obama said it bothered her that her husband would often only start getting ready when it was time to leave for their appointments.
You know, I’ve got this husband who’s like, when it’s time to leave, it’s 3, he’s getting up and going to the bathroom. And I was like, dude, dude, a 3 o’clock departure means you’ve done all that, you know? It’s like, don’t start looking for your glasses, you know, at the 3 o’clock departure,” she said.
However, he tries to keep himself in check these days, she said.
“But he’s improved over 30 years of marriage,” she said. She added that her daughters, Malia and Sasha, know to be early if they are doing anything with her.