Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson made headlines this week when he claimed that former first lady Michelle Obama "really dislikes" her husband.

However, Mrs. Obama was quick to push back on any suggestion that she and the former president are calling it quits. 

"Everybody would know"

According to the Daily Mail, the former first lady's remarks on the topic came on Thursday when she appeared on The Diary of a CEO podcast, hosted by Steven Bartlett.

I met Michelle a few weeks ago and instantly felt like I'd known her for a decade - we talked about everything, love, education, Barack, her children, university, Al, childhood, health, yoga, and then I did her podcast that day.

The day after she came to my studio to record her… pic.twitter.com/Mfppw52PZF

— Steven Bartlett (@StevenBartlett) May 1, 2025

"If I were having problems with my husband, everybody would know about it," Mrs. Obama said.

She was responding to a query from host Bartlett about rumors of marital discord.

"Let me tell you, he would know it," Mrs. Obama laughingly said while pointing towards her brother, Craig Robinson. "And everybody would know it."

Obama laments divorce rate

The former first lady then told Bartlett that if there were real strife with her husband at play, then she "would be problem-solving in public, like, 'Let me tell you what he did.'"

Mrs. Obama went on to explain that she talks "about these things because I think that people give up too quickly on marriage. Because there is so much friction built into the equation."

"And if you’re not getting help, talking about it, going to therapy, just understanding how things are changing, and how do you continuously renegotiate your relationship with your partner, I just see people quitting," she complained.

"Because they look at me and Barack and go, ‘#couple goals.’ And I’m like, it's hard. It’s hard for us too. But I wouldn’t trade it. He is -- as the young people say -- he is 'my person,'" she added.

Absences spark speculation

Earlier in the interview, Bartlett highlighted the fact that Mrs. Obama did not accompany her husband to President Donald Trump's inauguration or to former President Jimmy Carter's funeral.

That fact was reported by Fox News, which cited a statement released by the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama regarding the event.

"Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration," it explained, spurring a host of rumors and scuttlebutt that have barely subsided since.