FORMER President Barack Obama has been spotted out to dinner without Michelle as speculation about their marriage continues.
Barack, 63, was seen embarking on a night out with his daughters, Sasha and Malia, at a chic restaurant in Los Angeles on Saturday.
The Democrat wore his wedding ring and looked glum as he met up with his daughters at the ritzy Japanese eatery Hamasuku in Santa Monica.
The family has been spotted at the restaurant multiple times since 2022, as Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23, both live in Los Angeles.
However, the family was missing their matriarch this weekend as Michelle, 61, was nowhere to be found.
It comes a week after Barack and Michelle were spotted together at an Italian restaurant in Washington DC.
The couple’s date night marked the first time the pair, who have been married for 32 years, have been photographed together since December.
Speculation regarding potential marriage difficulties for the ex-White House duo arose when Michelle was noticeably absent from Barack’s side during the memorial service of former President Jimmy Carter in January.
All living former presidents were at the funeral with their wives except for Michelle.
It was later revealed that she had been on vacation in Hawaii during the event.
Following the service, Michelle chose to forgo attending President Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, while cameras documented Barack making his way into the US Capitol Rotunda unaccompanied.
In February, Michelle and her older brother, Craig Robinson, were also pictured in Los Angeles going out for dinner without Barack.
The couple collaborates on a podcast named IMO, through which Michelle has openly discussed early hurdles in their relationship, such as Barack’s habit of running late.
Despite the growing speculation, Michelle recently shot down divorce rumors in an episode of actress Sophia Bush’s podcast, Work in Progress.
She revealed that she didn’t attend the political events, including Carter’s funeral and Trump’s inauguration, because she is exercising her independence.
“That’s the thing that we as women, I think we struggle with disappointing people,” Michelle said.
Michelle Obama ‘wants to flee US for Europe trip’
Former First Lady Michelle Obama wants to leave the American spotlight behind for a quiet life in Europe, a source has told The U.S. Sun.
By: Steve Brenner and Israel Salas-Rodriguez
“Michelle has been wanting a lot lately to do things for her, to fulfill some dreams and life goals that she has been having but couldn’t really fulfill due to her life and because of her husband’s responsibilities,” a source close to Michelle disclosed to The U.S. Sun.
“But lately, she has been doing things for her, and she has a dream that she has been having since she was a teenager about living out of America for a bit, and spend time in another continent, like Europe.
“To enjoy espresso at a terrace, eat some pastries, walking down the streets like a normal person and not get any attention, and get away from all the spotlights, that is one goal that she would like to do soon.”
The source said the mom-of-two is considering temporarily moving abroad to countries in Southern Europe.
“She loves France, Italy, Spain, Greece, all those Mediterranean countries where the pace of life is slower, and things are simpler,” the insider added.
“She is really interested by this possibility, to go there for some months, I don’t know if Barack would join her or not, but she really would love to live this kind of experience as soon as possible.”
“I mean, so much so that this year people were, you know, they couldn’t even fathom that I was making a choice for myself that they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing.”
Michelle might even spend some time abroad without Barack soon, an inside source recently told The U.S. Sun.
The source exclusively revealed that Michelle has dreamed of traveling since she was a teenager, but put her ambitions on the back burner during her first lady duties.
“Michelle has been wanting a lot lately to do things for her, to fulfill some dreams and life goals that she has been having but couldn’t really fulfill due to her life and because of her husband’s responsibilities,” a source close to Michelle disclosed to The U.S. Sun.
“But lately, she has been doing things for her, and she has a dream that she has been having since she was a teenager about living out of America for a bit, and spend time in another continent, like Europe.”
Michelle is reportedly considering spending time in France, Italy, Greece, and Spain.
“She is really interested by this possibility, to go there for some months, I don’t know if Barack would join her or not, but she really would love to live this kind of experience as soon as possible,” the source said.
