Michelle Obama’s brother Craig reveals why he doubted brother-in-law Barack years before divorce rumors
WASHINGTON, DC: Former first lady Michelle Obama’s brother has shared some of his thoughts about his sister and brother-in-law Barack Obama’s relationship when the pair began dating, years before their divorce rumors started.
During Wednesday’s, April 16, episode of his and Michelle’s ‘IMO’ podcast, Craig Robinson disclosed that he was cynical about the duo’s romance.
He claimed, “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?” as reported by Page Six.
Craig Robinson thought Barack and Michelle Obama won’t last long
“And I’m thinking it’s gonna last a month like most of your relationships,” Robinson told the former first lady.
The 61-year-old jokingly replied, “That’s not true. I’ve had many a long-term boyfriends.”
But her brother said, “I wouldn’t call those guys boyfriends.”
Michelle’s elder brother also recalled their mother Miriam Robinson’s words when she met the 44th president for the first time.
“I remember mom’s first thing was, ‘Oh, at least he’s tall!’ That was her first thing she said, because Mich was usually posting up her other boyfriends,” the 62-year-old mentioned.
But Craig was not fully sure about Barack as he added, “And I said to myself, ‘Too bad it’s not going to last.’”
Michelle Obama called out societal biases against women
Despite all the doubts, Michelle and Barack Obama got married in 1992 and went on to welcome two daughters—Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23.
The candid conversation between the brother-sister duo came after Michelle and Barack faced divorce rumors after the former missed many high-profile events her husband attended alone.
But the ‘Becoming’ author slammed the speculations during the ‘Work in Progress’ podcast by Sophie Bush.
She said, as per Page Six, “The interesting thing is that when I say ‘no,’ for the most part, people are like, ‘I get it,’ and I’m OK.’ And that’s the thing that we as women struggle with — disappointing people.”
Michelle Obama questioned society’s expectations of women
“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,” the mother-of-two added.
Michelle further pointed out the society’s expectations of women.
She asserted, “If it doesn’t fit into the sort of stereotype of what people think we should do, then it gets labeled as something negative and horrible.”
Reflecting on her own freedom and happiness to do what she actually wants, Michelle stated, "I get to look at my calendar, which I did this year. It was a real big example of me, myself, looking at something that I was supposed to do, you know, without naming names, and I chose to do what was best for me."
"Not what I had to do, not what other people wanted me to do, and between you and me, that was an important test for me just as a woman, as an independent person. Because, like all women, I operate from guilt," she claimed.
