Former First Lady Michelle Obama says she and former President Barack Obama were “held to higher standards” because they are black.
“You said we were all too aware that as a first black couple, we couldn’t afford any missteps,” the interviewer asked. “And you also say as a black woman, I was under a particularly white, hot glare. Did you feel that?”
“For sure,” Obama replied. “You can’t afford to get anything wrong because you didn’t get the—at least until the country came to know us.”
“We didn’t get the grace that I think some other families have gotten,” she added.
Her comments come despite the fact that Barack Obama won the 2008 presidential election by a landslide and was re-elected in 2012 by a comfortable margin.
Since leaving office, the Obamas have built a global brand, securing multimillion-dollar book deals, signing with Netflix, and collecting large speaking fees.
Even so, Michelle Obama has continued to focus on themes of race and privilege, often portraying her family as misunderstood or unfairly judged.
Last month, she said she felt pressure as one of the few Black students at Princeton and acknowledged that some assumed she was admitted through affirmative action.
“All my scores said I did not belong in Princeton,” she said. “People saw my skin color and said, ‘You are aiming too high.’”
Her latest interview follows another wave of backlash over comments she made about the financial burdens of living in the White House.
During an appearance on “The Diary of a CEO” podcast, Obama described what she called the “unexpected expenses” of her eight years as First Lady, including food and travel costs.
“It’s expensive to live in the White House,” she said. “Many people don’t know, but much is not covered. You’re paying for every bit of food you eat.”
“You’re not paying for housing and the staff in it, but everything, even travel,” she added.
Obama said that if she or her daughters traveled without the president, the costs came out of their own pockets.
“If you’re not traveling with the president, if your kids are coming on Bright Star — the First Lady’s plane — we had to pay for their travel to be on the plane,” she said.
While the Obamas reportedly entered the White House in 2009 with a net worth just over $1 million, their fortune ballooned to an estimated $70 million by the time they left in 2017.
Her comments drew heavy criticism online, with social media users calling her “tone-deaf” and “out of touch.”
Former View co-host Meghan McCain posted on X, “It would be cool if Michelle Obama had literally anything positive to say about anything.”
The former First Lady’s remarks come amid reports that she and Barack Obama are attending therapy sessions together and discussing their future.
A source told Radar Online the couple are working on dividing their assets in case of a potential split.
“They want to have everything ironed out in advance,” an insider said. “The last thing they want is an ugly fight with lots of nasty legal filings.”
Adding to the speculation, their former Martha’s Vineyard estate — the 30-acre Blue Heron Farm — was recently listed for nearly $40 million.
The Obamas purchased another property on the island in 2020.
