Claim: Former United States president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama are getting a divorce.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: A Facebook page named Vonvon US, with 57 million followers, claimed in a February 8 post that the Obamas were “locked in bombshell divorce of the century.”
As of writing, the post has garnered 1,600 reactions, 2,360 comments, and 169 shares.
The facts: No official reports confirm the claim. In the comments section of the misleading post, the Facebook page attached a link to a related article. However, this only referred to the alleged divorce as speculation, contradicting the headline of the graphic accompanying the post.
Articles by Yahoo, Newsweek, and Vanity Fair also referred to the reports as unconfirmed rumors.
On Valentine’s Day, the couple seemingly addressed the rumors by posting a picture of themselves on their social media accounts. In his post, the former US president wrote: “Thirty-two years together and you still take my breath away. Happy Valentine’s Day, @MichelleObama!”
Michelle also posted the same photo with the caption: “If there’s one person I can always count on, it’s you, @BarackObama. You’re my rock. Always have been. Always will be. Happy Valentine’s Day, honey!”
Barack has also publicly greeted his wife on her birthday, January 18, with a photo of them.
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Unfounded: The Yahoo article, citing Vanity Fair, said the divorce rumor stemmed from an August 2024 cover story from the tabloid In Touch Weekly, which romantically linked actress Jennifer Aniston to the former president. Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live in October 2024, Aniston said the allegation was “absolutely untrue.”
The divorce speculations were also fueled by Michelle Obama’s absences in public appearances. She was the only one among the living former presidents and their spouses who did not attend the state funeral for former US president Jimmy Carter in January 2025. – Lyndee Buenagua/Rappler.com
Lyndee Buenagua is a third-year student journalist and an alumna of Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024.
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