Michelle Obama gave a fawning speech directed at her husband Barack during the opening of his new Presidential Center in Chicago.
Michelle delivered a lengthy address after announcing that she wanted to take some time to ‘fully sing his praises.’
The loving tribute came after constant rumors that the couple were living separate lives after leaving the White House, fueled by their lack of public appearances together.
She dedicated almost ten minutes to gushing about Barack, forcing the former president to wipe a tear from his eye.
However, in an earlier interview filmed before her speech Michelle made an eyebrow-raising comment.
The Obamas were being interviewed on Good Morning America on Thursday when host Robin Roberts asked the couple to each describe their ‘next chapter in one word.’
‘Fun,’ Barack replied, before Michelle said: ‘Me.’
‘That’s what you call ”drop the mic”,’ Roberts said. Barack appeared to be surprised by his wife’s answer. Viewers accused Michelle of being ‘selfish’, while others called her a ‘narcissist.’
Former First Lady Michelle Obama took the podium on Thursday to praise her husband at the grand opening of his Presidential Center in Chicago
Michelle praised her husband for his ‘dazzling brilliance and unpretentious decency’ in a lengthy speech that brought him to tears
Barack Obama appeared surprised by his wife after she said she would focus on herself for her ‘next chapter’
During her speech at the Obama Presidential Center, Michelle paid tribute to her husband.
‘You told me all those years ago that you couldn’t promise me the world, but you could promise me an interesting life, and of course, you outdid yourself and managed to give me both,’ she said.
Michelle said that there had not been a single second in their marriage where she was not ‘left in awe.’
She praised her husband for his ‘truest essence, stubborn optimism and unflinching courage.’
Michelle also paid tribute to what she said was Barack’s ‘dazzling brilliance, unpretentious decency, ferocious work ethic and unshakable moral fiber.’
She also took the opportunity to slam rumors that plagued her husband for years, including false accusations that he was not born in the US and questions surrounding his patriotism and faith.
She said that throughout the stress, her husband never ‘lashed out in frustration’ or ‘buckled under pressure.’
When the crowd erupted in applause, Michelle was quick to silence them, declaring, ‘I’m not done. Y’all not done. So much to say.’
The former first lady then rattled off a list of her husband’s accomplishments in office, citing his work on the economy and healthcare.
‘Barack, there are no words to express how proud I am of the way you showed up and continue to show up every single day,’ she continued.
‘It has been an honor to be by your side. You have made me a better person and have given us all an example that we should strive to emulate, and I hope you know there is truly no higher calling than that.’
Michelle did not address Donald Trump by name, but knocked his administration by declaring that ‘immigrants’ and ‘native kids’ are a part of the ‘beating heart’ of America.
She concluded her speech by confessing her hopes for the center and how it will impact the Chicago community.
Obama wiped away a tear as Michelle sang his praises during her remarks
Michelle said that serving alongside her husband’s side was an ‘honor’ and that he made her a better person
The Obamas were seen at the grand opening alongside political figures such as former President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton
Despite the high praise, Michelle gave an eyebrow-raising comment during a recent interview on Good Morning America with Robin Roberts.
When asked for one word to describe their next chapter together, Obama responded, ‘Barack,’ while Michelle simply stated, ‘Me.’
The Obamas were widely regarded as an it-couple during the president’s administration; however, they appeared distant after leaving office.
During a recent interview with the New Yorker, Obama confessed that there was ‘genuine tension’ in their household because Michelle wanted to see him ‘easing up’ on public duties to spend more time with her.
Michelle also famously told a televised roundtable in 2022 that ‘there were ten years where I couldn’t stand my husband.’
She sounded equally unenthused in an April 2025 episode of the IMO podcast she co-hosts with her older brother Craig Robinson.
‘You’re gonna have a bad decade,’ she sighed.
‘If the odds were you’re going to be married to your partner for 50 years and ten of those years could be bad, you’d sign up for it. You know, and that’s really how it works out.’
Rumors of an impending split were exacerbated when Michelle skipped two high-profile events Obama attended solo in January 2025.
Barack Obama was a guest on Michelle’s podcast IMO last year amid fierce divorce rumors
However, Michelle seemed enthusiastic to attend Thursday’s high-profile presidential event.
The Obamas were joined by other former living presidents, including Joe Biden, Bill Clinton, and George W Bush. Trump was not invited to the event.
One picture showed Michelle hugging former President George Bush as they showed off a can of Altoids mints while former President Bill Clinton laughed behind them.
Joe and Jill Biden, the former president and first lady, were seen in a cheeky snap blowing a kiss at the camera together.
A-listers also swarmed the event, including John Lennon and his wife Chrissy Teigen, former late-night talk show host Steven Colbert, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson, Tyler Perry, Steven Spielberg, and former fashion model Jill Vedder, among others.
California Governor Gavin Newsom , US Rep. Nancy Pelosi , Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, former Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau , Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, and former Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff, and more political bigwigs were also in attendance.
Former President Joe Biden and former first lady Jill Biden, from left, former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush, and former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, pose for a photo
One picture showed Michelle hugging former President George Bush as they showed off a can of Altoids mints while former President Bill Clinton laughed behind them
Joe Biden appeared to nod off and lower his head at one point
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and his wife, former first lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, attend the dedication ceremony
The Obama Center project plans were made public in May 2017, and originally projected to be completed by 2021.
But the COVID-19 pandemic sparked delays, along with the expansion of the center’s original plans.
The campus itself sits on 19 acres of land and includes a public park, museum, library, ample green space, and an NBC regulation-size basketball court.
Approximately $850 million went into building the center, making it the most expensive presidential library in US history.
