Michelle Obama is not going anywhere.
After her mother Marian Robinson died at the age of 86 last May, the former first lady of the United States—who wed Barack Obama in 1992—shared insight into the realizations she had amid her grief.
“When you lose your parents, you’re next up,” Michelle, 61, joked to her brother Craig Robinson on a May 7 episode of their IMO podcast. “If anything, with mom’s loss, thank god that you’re my big brother and I have a husband who’s older.”
Although, her husband of 32 years has a quip of his own.
“Barack was saying, ‘Well, you’re next up,’” she continued. “And I was like, ‘I’m not really ready to be next up.’ I told him, ‘You’re next up and Craig is next up.’ I delegate that power to you.”
But all jokes aside, Michelle—who shares daughters Malia Obama, 26, and Sasha Obama, 23, with the 44th president—reflected on how her mother’s passing felt like it cemented her adulthood.
“That’s really when you become an adult,” she explained, “is when your parents are not in that spot of managing and maintaining. But that’s gonna happen at some point, where each of us in our own lives, we become the parent, we become the convener we, become the glue.”
And when it came to raising her own daughters, the Becoming author spent much of their childhoods going to great lengths to protect them from growing up in the public eye.
“That was a lot of work,” Michelle told Kelly Ripa on SiriusXM’s Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa last month, “and it got harder as they got older.”
“They had to drive and they had to go to prom and they were on teams and they traveled to other schools and they had to do college searches, and they went to parties and they had drinks, and they tried out smoking and they did all the things,” she recalled, “and every weekend was a nightmare, because we had to work to make sure that them being regular teenagers didn’t wind up on Page Six.”
After all, the Obamas are no strangers to being the subject of tabloid rumors. Indeed, speculation that she and her husband were planning to divorce after 32 years of marriage were recently running rampant online.
“If I were having problems with my husband, everybody would know about it,” Michelle said on the Diary of a CEO podcast last month, setting the record straight. “And let me tell you, and he would know it and everybody would know it. I’m not a martyr. I’m not. And I would be problem-solving in public, and be like, ‘Let me tell you what he did.'”
For more proof that Barack and Michelle Obama are still going strong, keep reading to look back at some of their sweetest moments.
One-of-a-Kind Love Story
In July 2020, Michelle opens up about her marriage on her podcast. “One of the reasons I fell in love with you is because you are guided by the principle that we are each other’s brothers’ and sisters’ keepers…,” she shares. “I can say that my family, my neighborhood, my notions of community growing up shaped that view, and shaped the choices that I made in life as I felt your experiences shape yours.”
Power Couple
The couple uplifts graduates during the Dear Class of 2020 event.
Head Over Heels
The couple exchanges smiles as they wait to greet South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and his wife Kim Yoon-ok.
Mother’s Day Memory
Picture-perfect! President Obama shares a tender moment with Michelle during their Mother’s Day gathering at the White House.
Over the Moon
All smiles! The two unveil their official portraits during a ceremony at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in 2018.
It’s a Thriller
The duo hands out candy to trick-or-treaters on the south lawn of the White House.
A Quick Kiss
The president places a gentle kiss on his wife’s cheek.
“Let Me…”
Michelle ensures the president is handshake-ready before their meeting with Singapore’s prime minister.
Seal of Approval
The President gives the First Lady a thumbs up before meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife Ho Ching.
Golden Duo
Before their meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur, the couple sneaks in glances at each other.
Aaaay!
President Fonz gives the camera a thumbs-up while Michelle looks equally bemused.
Sharing a Laugh
The adorable couple makes each other giggle before meeting with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Agnese Landini.
Four More Years
The duo is captured sharing a long embrace after learning that they will be POTUS and FLOTUS for four more years in 2012.
A Celebratory Dance
The president and his leading lady celebrate his re-election by enjoying a slow dance at the Commander-In-Chief’s Ball in January 2013.
Ballroom Banter
The two share a slow dance at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball in 2009.
A Happy Dance
The duo flashes their gorgeous smiles as they dance at the Obama Home States Inaugural Ball in 2009.
Historic Embrace
The pair soaks up the moment at the DNC in 2008, after then-Sen. Obama officially accepted the nomination as the first Black man to be the lead candidate of a major political party.
Yes, We Can Fist-Bump
The couple shares their excitement at a Minnesota rally after Sen. Obama learned he had clinched the Democratic nomination for president in June 2008.
