Conservative radio host Megyn Kelly was called out for criticizing Michelle and Barack Obama's 33-year-marriage after she said during a recent episode of The Megyn Kelly Show that two should never have gotten married in the first place.
Earlier this month, Michelle Obama addressed rumors that she and her husband were getting a divorce, noting that her decision to step back from the limelight after leaving the White House in 2017 meant some people were so unable to "fathom that I was making a choice for myself that they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing."
The former First Lady added that if what a woman personally chooses "doesn't fit into the sort of stereotype of what people think we should do, then it gets labeled as something negative and horrible." These comments pointed to the pernicious nature of these rumors, which kicked off after a spokesperson announced that she would not attend President Donald Trump's inauguration.
But what really irked Kelly were the remarks Mrs. Obama made during a recent episode of her podcast IMO in which she, joined by her brother Craig Robinson, reflected on the low points of marriage:
“I tell people - and folks think this is harsh - it’s, like, ‘You’re gonna have a bad decade.' I mean, I’ve been married to my husband for 30 plus years… If the odds were you’re going to be married to your partner for 50 years and 10 of those years could be bad, you’d sign up for it. You know, and that’s really how it works out.”
Kelly responded to the clip by referencing her marriage to her second husband, author and podcast host Douglas Brunt:
“Is it, Michelle? It’s not. I’ve been married for 17 and a half years and not one was bad. I think she and he married the wrong people."
"It’s amazing ― every word she says about Barack Obama is negative. I can’t think of her just waxing poetic about him, complimenting, ‘He’s brilliant. He’s a great dad. He was the greatest president,’ whatever a normal wife of Barack Obama would say. Every time she opines, it’s something that reflects poorly on him.”
You can hear what Kelly said in the video below.
Kelly’s comments about Mrs. Obama marrying the “wrong” person were somewhat ironic given her own marital history. She married anesthesiologist Daniel Kendall in a Catholic ceremony in 2001, but the couple divorced in 2006. In March 2024, Kelly revealed she was in the process of seeking a Catholic annulment for that marriage.
Many have criticized Kelly for her remarks.
Wish this woman would mind her own business & go away🤬
— gschepisi.bsky.social (@gschepisi.bsky.social) April 19, 2025 at 11:05 PM
The former queen of cesspool journalism is trying to float back to the top.
— madronadave.bsky.social (@madronadave.bsky.social) April 19, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Mrs. Obama has not commented on Kelly's remarks—probably because she has much better things to do.