Michelle Obama revealed she is in therapy after she and her husband, Barack Obama, shut down divorce rumors.
The former first lady explained on Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast that she decided to seek professional help while adjusting to her next chapter.
“At this phase of my life, I’m in therapy right now because I’m transitioning, you know?” she said in the April 28 episode.
“I’m 60 years old. I’ve finished a really hard thing in my life with my family intact. I’m an empty nester. My girls are in — you know, they’ve been launched,” Michelle, who shares daughters Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23, with the former president, continued.
The “Becoming” author, 61, said that with both of her children being out of the home and with her and Barack, 63, no longer being public servants, she was left in a situation where “every choice” is “completely” her own now.
“I now don’t have the excuse of, ‘Well, my kids need this’ or ‘My husband needs that’ or ‘The country needs that,’” she shared.
“So, I’m getting that tune-up for this next phase because I believe this is a whole ‘nother phase in life for me. And I now have the wisdom to know — let me go get some coaching while I’m doing it,” Michelle added.
Rumors that there was trouble in paradise for the Obamas swirled when she began staying out of the public eye ahead of President Trump’s inauguration in January.
Michelle skipped the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter on Jan. 9 and also declined to watch Trump be sworn into office on Jan. 20.
Barack attended both events solo.
At the time, Page Six exclusively reported that the “IMO” podcast co-host was on an “extended holiday vacation” in Hawaii.
Sources also told us that Michelle had been “checked out” of Washington, DC, life since their family left the White House in 2017.
Barack shut down the divorce speculation by posting a sweet birthday shout-out to the “love of [his] life” in January and by a loved-up Valentine’s Day selfie of them in February.
Michelle also took a moment to shoot down the unfounded gossip about her three-decade marriage.
“That’s the thing that we as women struggle with — disappointing people,” she said on Sophia Bush’s “Work in Progress” podcast on April 9.
“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.”
Michelle laughed at the concept of ending her union and ridiculed the idea that she couldn’t possibly be “a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself.”
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