Michelle Obama Finally Breaks Silence On Skipping Donald Trump's Inauguration

Former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama has finally spoken out about skipping Donald Trump's 2025 inauguration and the chaos that ensued.

During a new podcast episode, the Chicago native and mother of two said her choice to skip some of the nation's biggest events at the beginning of the year was to protect her well-being.

Michelle Obama's statements come weeks after the 61-year-old addressed rumors that she and her husband, former POTUS Barack Obama, were facing issues in their marriage.

While speaking with her brother, Craig Robinson, on the latest episode of her "IMO" podcast, Michelle opened up about the criticism she faced after deciding to skip Trump's inauguration following his victory in the 2024 presidential election.

“My decision to skip the inauguration—or my decision to make choices at the beginning of this year that suited me—were met with such ridicule and criticism,” she said. “People couldn't believe that I was saying no for any other reason, that they had to assume that my marriage was falling apart.”

Michelle went on to say that at this point in her life, her focus is on being intentional with what she gives her energy to.

“I'm here really trying to own my life and intentionally practice making the choice that was right for me,” she added. “And it took everything in my power to not do the thing that ‘was right,’ or was perceived as right, but do the things that was right for me.”

Elsewhere, during Michelle's most recent podcast episode, the "Becoming" author admitted that deciding to skip the ceremony wasn't easy. In fact, she had to "basically trick" herself into going.

“It started with not having anything to wear,” she explained. “Because I'm always prepared for any funeral, anything—I walk around with the right dress, I travel with clothes just in case something pops off. So, I was like, if I'm not going to do this thing, I got to tell my team, I don't even want to have a dress ready.”

As she continued, Michelle, who married Barack in 1992, shared that she's in a much different place in her life today than she was when she was in the White House.

According to her, she's choosing to "define my life on my terms for the first time."

She continued, “Like what happened that eight years that we were in the White House? What did that do to me internally, my soul?”

"We made it through," she said. "We got out alive. I hope we made the country proud. My girls, thank God, are whole. But what happened to me?”

Michelle went on to say that she's spent the last several years working on herself through therapy, which has challenged her to confront hard truths.

"Going through therapy is getting me to look at the fact that maybe, finally, I'm good enough," she said. "Then, trying to actively practice something different to rewire those neurons in my head that make me keep pushing and striving. And practicing 'no' in a very different way intentionally."

During a previous interview, Michelle Obama reflected on the rumors that have been circulating about her marriage since she skipped the inauguration.

While appearing on Sophia Bush's iHeart Radio podcast "Work in Progress," the Harvard graduate touched on disappointing people who may have certain expectations of you.

"That's the thing that we women struggle with — disappointing people. I mean, so much so that this year, people couldn't even fathom that I was making a choice for myself," she said.

"This couldn't be a grown woman just making a set of decisions herself, right? But that's what society does to us," Michelle continued.

She also touched on being able to make different choices in her life now that her daughters, Malia and Sasha Obama, are adults.

"It's the first time in my life all of my choices are for me," she told Bush. "I think if I'm honest with myself, I could have made a lot of these decisions years ago. But I didn't give myself that freedom."