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Divorce is the one thing people really want to hear Michelle Obama talk about right now. And on her new podcast, IMO (short for “in my opinion”), the former First Lady obliges, repeatedly discussing the topic. The bad news for gossip hounds is that Mobama opines only on her brother and co-host Craig Robinson’s divorce from his first wife. In fact, IMO’s first two episodes are almost totally devoid of any juicy content — let alone juicy content about the state of Michelle and Barack Obama’s marriage.
Granted, there probably isn’t much to say about the Obamas’ marriage, as they are not separating. The rumor that they might be took off in August when In Touch published a cover story suggesting that Michelle Obama had been “betrayed,” and that Barack Obama and Jennifer Aniston were “obsessed with each other.” Aniston joked about the idea that she’s having an affair with the former president months later on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, calling it “absolutely untrue.” And the Obamas have tacitly signaled that their marriage is fine via affectionate social media posts.
IMO, which is produced by the Obamas’ media company Higher Ground, never promised inside information on the former First Couple’s marriage, though listeners may have assumed they’d get some interesting tidbits. According to the show description, a “relaxed and honest” Mobama will be delving into topics like “dating and relationships”:
Michelle Obama and her big brother Craig Robinson bring their unique experiences and candid perspectives to a range of listeners’ personal dilemmas, from the everyday to the existential. Each week, they’re joined by special guests to tackle audience questions with practical advice, relatable anecdotes, and plenty of laughs. From dating and relationships to parenting and financial planning, IMO sees the iconic First Lady at her most relaxed and honest. This podcast will leave you laughing, reflecting, and feeling more prepared to tackle life’s challenges.
So what does this mean in practice? In episode one, Obama and Robinson talk about their close bond as siblings. In episode two they have a meandering conversation about friendship with Issa Rae. In both episodes they discuss Robinson’s divorce, which is old news (he divorced his first wife in 2000 and married his current wife in 2006, and he has discussed the split elsewhere). Each time, all they reveal is that Obama was upset her brother didn’t initially confide in her about his marital troubles.
Barack Obama is mentioned several times in passing, and his cameos, if anything, provide more evidence that the Obamas’ marriage is fine. Michelle says she was initially annoyed by Barack’s failure to get ready on time. Robinson tells a familiar anecdote about persuading his sister to support Barack’s first presidential run. Michelle alludes to Barack being in the house when her friends come to visit — contradicting claims that they’re living separate lives — and teasingly notes that he never comes home with good gossip after hanging out with his buddies.
The same can be said of IMO. These are the most interesting revelations from the first two episodes:
Generally, the IMO podcast feels like it’s coming to us from another time, or an alternate, less-grim reality (and that may literally be the case; presumably it was planned out well before Donald Trump’s second inauguration). Marital gossip aside, what people probably need from Michelle Obama at the moment is an anti-Trump pep talk, like the spectacular speech she delivered at the last Democratic National Convention. But despite her natural talent and huge popularity, Obama has repeatedly made it clear that she does not want a career in politics. And it certainly doesn’t feel like “hope is making a comeback” right now. So instead, all we’re getting from Michelle Obama is bland chatter with her brother and and Pine-Sol ad copy.
