Barack and Michelle Obama put on brave face with daughters amid divorce rumors and name changes

Barack and Michelle Obama are celebrating their youngest daughter as she marks her 24th birthday, despite the swirling rumors about their marriage.

Michelle Obama shared a photo to her Instagram of the family seemingly on vacation together and she issued a heartfelt message to Sasha.

‘Happy birthday to my sweet girl, Sasha! Can’t believe how quickly time has flown. I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become. Love you always!’ Michelle wrote. 

The Obamas have been married for 32 years but have faced ongoing rumors about their marriage status over the last several months.

Michelle last month dismissed speculation about marital issues and addressed the rumors head on during an episode of The Diary of a CEO.

‘If I were having problems with my husband, everybody would know about it,’ she told the podcast.

The couple’s eldest daughter Malia has also dropped her famous surname and is now going by Malia Ann professionally.

Michelle has publicly supported Malia’s decision, emphasizing that she wants her daughter to ‘carve her own path’ and ‘make her way’. 

Barack and Michelle Obama are celebrating their youngest daughter as she marks her 24th birthday, despite the swirling rumors about their marriage

The Obamas (pictured together in a photo Barack shared in February) have been married for 32 years but have faced ongoing rumors about their marriage status over the last several months

The rumors were only fueled by Michelle’s noticeable absence from several high-profile events this year; including January’s presidential inauguration and the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter.

In March, Michelle also skipped their usual courtside seats at the NBA All-Star Game.

The couple were spotted out on a date night in NYC two weeks ago, after having also been seen going out to dinner in DC the month before.

Social media and the tabloids have all served to amplify claims that the couple may soon be heading for a split. 

On a recent podcast Michelle revealed how she is in therapy to help her transition to what she thinks is the ‘next phase’ of her life.

During the episode, Michelle acknowledged that marriage is ‘hard’ for her and the former president but added that ‘I wouldn’t trade it,’ calling President Obama, ‘as the young people say… my person.’ 

‘The beauty of my husband and our partnership is that neither one of us was ever really, ever going to quit at it, because that’s not who we are. And I know that about him. He knows that about me.’

Michelle has been open about her marriage struggles throughout the years and particularly on her new podcast, IMO (In my Opinion), which she hosts with her brother Craig Robinson.

Michelle, Malia, Sasha and Barack Obama are pictured during a rally in May 2008

Michelle has also discussed being an ’empty nester’ and admitted to getting ‘some help’ as she heads into her 60s.

‘At this phase of my life, I’m in therapy right now because I’m transitioning, you know?’ she said on a recent episode of On The Jay Shetty Podcast.

‘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,’ she said.

Michelle said that she’s got ‘other voices’ to talk to and a ‘new person that’s getting to know me’ as she works through things. 

Being out of public service, she now finds herself in a situation where ‘every choice that I’m making is completely mine.’   

‘I now don’t have the excuse of, “Well, my kids need this” or “My husband needs that” or “The country needs that.”‘

She says that therapy is a ‘tune-up for this next phase’ in an attempt to ‘unwind some old habits and ‘sort through some old guilt,’ along with focusing on her relationship with her mother.  

‘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,’ she said.

The mother-of-two has also expressed her support for her daughters efforts to ‘push away’ from their famous family.

Malia, 26, last year decided to go by a stage name as she tries to break into the Hollywood film scene.

‘They’re young adult women, but they definitely went through a period in their teen years where it was the push away. They’re still doing that,’ Michelle explained last week on the Kate and Oliver Hudson’s Sibling Revelry podcast. 

She says Sasha and Malia are ‘very sensitive’ to their privilege and are striving to ‘be their own people’.

‘It is very important for my kids to feel like they’ve earned what they are getting in the world, and they don’t want people to assume that they don’t work hard, that they’re just naturally handed things,’ she explained. 

But although the former First Lady supports Malia’s decision to use a stage name, she did jokingly admit that both she and Barack told their daughter: ‘They’re still going to know it’s you, Malia.’

Malia made her directional debut in a film titled The Heart, which premiered at Sundance in January 2024. 

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.