Michelle Obama discusses her skipping Trump inauguration

Former first lady Michelle Obama delved into why she passed over President Trump’s second inauguration in January.

The move, she told cohost and brother Craig Robinson and guest and actress Taraji P. Henson on her “IMO” podcast Wednesday, was an act of self-care. She also addressed the divorce rumors that were sparked by her absence.

“My decision to make choices at the beginning of this year that suited me were met with such ridicule and criticism, like people couldn’t believe that I was saying no for any other reason, they had to assume that my marriage was falling apart, you know? … I’m here really trying to own my life and intentionally practice making the choice that was right for me. And it took everything in my power to not do the thing that was perceived as right,” Mrs. Obama said.

She took a similar tack in an interview on actress Sophia Bush’s “Work in Progress” podcast earlier this month, saying people “couldn’t even fathom that I was making a choice for myself, that they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing. This couldn’t be a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself, right?”

Mrs. Obama was pushing back on social media rumors and anonymously sourced reports that she and her husband, former President Barack Obama, were negotiating a deal to split their $70 million fortune as part of the divorce.

Unnamed insiders told Radar Online that the couple planned to split their stock portfolio and real estate holdings, but that the supposed deal foundered after Mr. Obama purportedly demanded a share of their production company Higher Ground, founded in 2018.

If the two did split, Mr. Obama would become the first president to divorce after having held office. Mr. Trump and former President Ronald Reagan assumed the presidency after divorces.

The office of former President Barack Obama and Mrs. Obama didn’t provide a reason for her absence at the Trump swearing-in, saying in a statement only that “former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration,” according to The Associated Press.

Mrs. Obama was also absent from the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter on Jan. 9, less than two weeks before the inauguration. She was on vacation in Hawaii at the time, according to CNN.

Mr. Obama did attend, sitting next to Mr. Trump at Washington’s National Cathedral.