Michelle Obama said she ‘couldn’t stand’ Barack for a decade of their 30-year marriage. Here’s a timeline of their relationship.
- Barack and Michelle Obama celebrated their 30th anniversary on October 3, 2022.
- They met at a Chicago law firm where Michelle was assigned to mentor Barack.
- They wed in 1992, have two children, and spent eight years in the White House.
1989: Michelle was assigned as Barack’s mentor at their law firm, and he said he was immediately smitten.
Barack Obama, then 28, and Michelle Robinson, then 25, met at the Chicago office of the law firm Sidley Austin LLP, where Robinson was assigned to be his mentor.
“Because I went to Harvard and he went to Harvard, and the firm thought, ‘Oh, we’ll hook these two people up,'” Michelle told ABC News in 2008.
In his 2020 memoir, “A Promised Land,” Barack Obama wrote he “was smitten almost from the second I saw her.”
1989: They had their first date, which included lunch, a walk in the park, and a movie.
Though she was his mentor, that didn’t stop the future president from asking Robinson on a date. She said she was not so keen at the time.
Michelle Obama said she 'couldn't stand' Barack for a decade of their 30-year marriage. pic.twitter.com/iytWaxfCYl
— Inside Pitakwa (@PitakwaJobzilla) August 6, 2023
“Barack, about a month in, asked me out, and I thought ‘No way. This is completely tacky,'” she told ABC News in the 2008 interview.
But eventually she relented, and the pair went on a date. They started by having lunch at the Art Institute of Chicago, taking a stroll, then ending up going to see the Spike Lee film “Do The Right Thing.”
“He showed all the sides — he was hip, cutting edge, cultural, sensitive. The fountain – nice touch. The walk — patient,” Michelle told The Telegraph in 2012.
“Take tips, gentlemen,” Barack added, smiling.
The date was eventually immortalized in the 2016 film “Southside With You.”
1991: They got engaged in a simple and sweet way.
The pair got engaged at Gordon’s restaurant in Chicago. The dinner was supposed to celebrate Barack passing his bar exam, they told ABC News in 2008.
“And then the waiter came over with the dessert and a tray. And there was the ring,” Michelle said. “And I was completely shocked.”
She told ABC News that he simply got down on one knee and asked. Michelle, of course, said yes.
1992: They got married at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.
The couple married on October 3, 1992. Michelle later noted that her husband’s vows were a glimpse at what was to come.
“Barack didn’t pledge riches, only a life that would be interesting. On that promise he delivered,” she recalled, according to the Obama Foundation website.
After the ceremony, their reception was held at the South Shore Cultural Center and they honeymooned along the California coast.
1998: They had their first child, Malia Ann Obama.
Malia was born on July 4, 1998.
2001: Their second child, Natasha Obama, was born.
Natasha, known as Sasha, was born on July 10, 2001.
Barack said in a 2013 interview that he thinks that he and Michelle’s love has been a great example to their daughters.
“The great thing about the girls is they’ve got a wonderful role model in their mom,” Obama told Essence. “They’ve seen how Michelle and I interact — not only the love but also the respect that I show to their mom. So I think they have pretty high expectations about how relationships should be, and that gives me some confidence about the future. I joke about this stuff sometimes, but the truth is they are smart, steady young women.”
2004: Barack was elected to US Senate, beginning their life in the spotlight.
Though he was a state senator for several years, Barack became the US senator for Illinois in 2004, catapulting the family into the national spotlight.
Michelle was a notable figure on his campaign, but she had her own impressive role as vice president for Community and External Affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals.
2008: Barack was elected president of the United States, making Michelle the US first lady.
Though he had a notable term, he once joked that being Michelle’s husband was what people loved most about him.
“If you were going to list the 100 most popular things that I have done as president, being married to Michelle Obama is number one,” Barack said during a State of the Union address in 2010.
2012: Barack won re-election, and Michelle — whom the president called “my rock” — became an advocate for healthy eating.
Barack won a re-election bid against Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. By then, the couple was a household name, with Michelle being known for her healthy-eating initiatives. President Obama noted that he couldn’t have done nearly as much in his time in office without the support and guidance of Michelle.
“Obviously I couldn’t have done anything that I’ve done without Michelle … not only has she been a great first lady, she is just my rock,” he told Oprah Winfrey in 2011. “I count on her in so many ways every single day.”
2017: The Obamas departed the White House after President Donald Trump was sworn in on January 20.
Both Barack and Michelle made clear that although they enjoyed their time in the White House, they were ready for a bit of normalcy after eight years.
“I want to open my front door without discussing it with anyone — and just walk,” Michelle told Oprah in 2016.
“I want to go to Target again! I’ve heard so many things have changed in Target! I tell my friends they’re going to have to give me a re-entry training for like, ‘OK, what do you do at CVS now? How do you check out?'” she joked.
“All the women in my life are looking forward to being able to live a more normal life,” Barack also told Jimmy Kimmel that year.
2017: After leaving the White House, they took an extended family vacation.
Once they left office in January 2017, the Obamas took some time off. They traveled to Italy, Hawaii, and Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands, a spot owned by billionaire Sir Richard Branson.
2017: As they marked 25 years of marriage, Michelle called her husband “the most extraordinary man I know.”
The political powerhouses celebrated 25 years together on October 3, 2017.
“Happy 25th anniversary @barackobama. A quarter of a century later, you’re still my best friend & the most extraordinary man I know. I <3 you,” Michelle tweeted.
2018: Michelle released her memoir “Becoming” and embarked on a book tour, where Barack surprised her with flowers at an event in Washington, DC.
While talking about her time in the White House with Valerie Jarrett, Barack emerged from backstage with a bouquet of pink roses.
“You don’t get this at every show!” Michelle told the audience.
“This is like — you know when Jay-Z comes out during the Beyoncé concert? … Like, Crazy in Love?” Barack said. “It’s the same thing. It’s just a little sample to enhance the concert.”
2020: Barack released his own memoir, “A Promised Land,” in which he wrote about his love story with Michelle.
Barack dedicated his book to “Michelle — my love and life’s partner, and Malia and Sasha — whose dazzling light makes everything brighter.”
In “A Promised Land,” he wrote about his courtship with Michelle and the early days of their relationship, as well as her initial opposition to his political ambitions.
“She was tall, beautiful, funny, outgoing, generous, and wickedly smart — and I was smitten almost from the second I saw her,” he wrote.
2021: They attended President Joe Biden’s inauguration hand in hand.
Michelle wore a plum monochrome look comprised of pants, a sweater, belt, and jacket that were all created by American designer Sergio Hudson.
2022: The Obamas made their first joint return to the White House for the unveiling of their official portraits.
Barack said that Michelle’s portrait by Sharon Sprung captures everything he loves about her: “Her grace, her intelligence, and the fact that she is fine. She is.”
The former president’s portrait was painted by Robert McCurdy.
2022: While promoting her new book, “The Light We Carry,” Michelle revealed she “couldn’t stand” Barack for 10 years after the birth of their daughters.
On the Revolt x Michelle Obama special hosted by Angie Martinez and featuring panelists Tina Lawson, Kelly Rowland, H.E.R., and Winnie Harlow, Michelle said she was often frustrated with her husband when their daughters were young, Insider’s Anna Medaris reported.
She said the tension between them stemmed from “measuring” tasks, like how many diapers each changed, until she realized that “marriage isn’t 50/50, ever.”
The former first lady added that it’s important to “know your person” in order to get through those rough patches.
“Do you like him? I mean, you could be mad at him, but do you still look at him and go, ‘I’m not happy with you, but I respect you. I don’t agree with you, but you’re still a kind, smart person,'” she said.
2023: In an interview with Oprah Winfrey for “The Light We Carry,” Michelle said that she and Barack differ in “how we show love.”
On an April 25 episode of Michelle’s Audible podcast series “The Light Podcast” featuring conversations from “The Light We Carry” book-tour events, Winfrey asked the former first lady about how she and Barack navigate their relationship differently.
Michelle said that her husband is more verbally and physically affectionate because he and his family lived far apart and didn’t get to see each other very often, whereas she grew up surrounded by extended family and views expressing love as being present.
“I grew up with everybody within eight blocks of each other,” she said. “All my aunts, and uncles, and great uncles, and cousins, and everybody celebrated birthdays. So we were with each other, every weekend, twice a weekend. We were always together. So it was like, ‘Mmm, bye. I don’t have to tell you I love you because I’m going to see you Saturday.’ So love, for me, was showing up. It was like, ‘Yeah, yeah. Stop kissing me. Just do the laundry.'”
