Barack Obama and Michelle Obama appeared to put on a united front when the former president appeared on his wife’s podcast earlier today – but a body language expert has revealed that there may be more than meets the eye.
Barack, 63, was a guest on the IMO podcast, which Michelle co-hosts with her brother Craig Robinson, with the couple addressing the divorce rumors that have engulfed their marriage in recent weeks.
The former first lady, 61, joked that it was nice to be in the same room as her husband, sassily telling her brother: ‘When we aren’t, folks think we’re divorced.’
Michelle clapped back at the speculation, passionately saying there has not been ‘one moment’ in their marriage where she thought about separating.
However, body language expert Judi James declared the pair’s body language has changed drastically since their days in the White House as she described the interaction as ‘awkward’ in video footage from the podcast.
‘As Barack arrives to take his seat, Michelle rubs her hands on her thighs in what looks like a self-calming ritual before placing her hands below the desk, between her legs,’ Judi exclusively told the Daily Mail.
‘This, along with the way her awkwardly-placed feet tend to edge under her seat, suggests a desire to self-diminish from the normally confident-looking ex FLOTUS,’ she added.
‘There’s no real joy thrown into the room at this point to relax any tension,’ the expert continued. ‘Michelle’s brows shoot upward and her head wobbles in a suggestion that any rumors make her sad and rather angry.’
Barack Obama and Michelle Obama appeared to put on a united front when the former president appeared on his wife’s podcast earlier today – but a body language expert has revealed that there may be more than meets the eye
Meanwhile, Judi mused that Barack’s response to learning about the rumors around their marriage – to which he said ‘I don’t even know this stuff’s going on’ – was ‘odd.’
According to the expert, the former first lady’s body language suggests ‘anxiety and inherent awkwardness.’
‘When Barack and Michelle were in the White House their signature body language brand was all about mutual romance and a form of intellectual and charismatic equality,’ Judi observed.
She added in the past, the couple’s marriage looked like the ‘perfect blueprint,’ with Michelle even tending to ‘eclipse her husband now and again when it came to public speaking and positive, inspirational confidence.’
Judi pointed out that changing the way they interact with each other – or ‘lowering the idyllic bar’ – would obviously incite gossip about their relationship.
‘The couple appear mildly uncomfortable but determined to set the record straight here,’ she observed, adding that they are putting on a ‘professional display.’
The expert added although the seating arrangement is determined by the studio set up which hinders any physical affection, there is no ‘gracious, presidential double-act style body language’ between them like there was in previous years.
‘This means there is no gracious, presidential double-act style body language where they pose as a tactile couple before taking to their seats,’ she revealed. ‘The only person Barack reaches out to touch here is Michelle’s brother.’
The former first lady, 61, joked that it was nice to be in the same room as her husband, sassily telling her brother: ‘When we aren’t, folks think we’re divorced’
Body language expert Judi James pointed out that in the past, the couple’s marriage looked like the ‘perfect blueprint’ (pictured in 2007)
Judi mused that Barack’s response to learning about the rumors around their marriage – to which he said ‘I don’t even know this stuff’s going on’ – was ‘odd’
‘As Barack arrives to take his seat, Michelle rubs her hands on her thighs in what looks like a self-calming ritual before placing her hands below the desk, between her legs,’ Judi exclusively told the Daily Mail
Michelle and Barack have been married for almost 33 years but have faced ongoing rumors about their marriage status over the last several months
The expert also noted the lack of ‘romantic’ moments for the camera.
‘Michelle finishes with a formal sign-off of “Thank you Barack Obama” with no playful-looking rituals,’ she concluded her observations.
Instead, Judi pointed out the mom-of-two anxiously rubbed her bracelets, which could suggest the discussion on the podcast may ‘have cost them both in terms of emotion to take this action to prove the doubters wrong.’
Michelle made heartfelt admission about her relationship with her husband of almost 33 years during the episode, wasting no time in addressing the rumors they are headed for a divorce.
‘What, you guys like each other?’ Robinson joked, before Michelle replied: ‘Oh yeah, the rumor mill.’
‘There hasn’t been one moment in our marriage where I thought about quitting my man,’ she said passionately.
She continued: ‘And we’ve had some really hard times. So we had a lot of fun times, a lot of adventures, and I have become a better person because of the man I’m married to.’
The Obamas have been married for almost 33 years and share daughters, Malia, 26, and Sasha, 24. Over the past few months they have faced ongoing rumors about their marriage status, but have denied they are separating.
Speculation mounted over trouble between the pair after her decision to skip both Jimmy Carter’s funeral and President Donald Trump’s inauguration – with Michelle insisting they were decisions she made for herself.
Those absences sparked divorce rumors, which she addressed during a taping of actress Sophia Bush’s podcast in April.
‘That’s the thing that we as women, I think we struggle with disappointing people. 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 said.
‘That this couldn’t be a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself, right?’ she continued. ‘That’s what society does to us.’
‘We start actually, finally going, “What am I doing? Who am I doing this for?”‘ the former first lady said. ‘And if it doesn’t fit into the sort of stereotype of what people think we should do, then it gets labeled as something negative and horrible.’
