Berliner Tageszeitung - Michelle Obama describes relief and adjustment after daughters leave home

Michelle Obama said she does not miss having her adult daughters living at home, while emphasising that she loves them and remains close to them. The former US first lady made the remarks during an August 26 episode of the IMO podcast with her brother and co-host Craig Robinson and guest Jon Stewart.

Obama, 62, said her husband, former president Barack Obama, cried when their daughters left for college, while she welcomed the change. She said Friday nights no longer carried anxiety about their whereabouts and that she valued Malia and Sasha’s growth and independence. The couple’s daughters are 28 and 25.

A clip circulated on X and divided parents. Meghan McCain and several other users said they expected to find separation from their children difficult. Others defended Obama, saying parents experience attachment differently and that encouraging independence can help adult children develop.

Obama previously said during a 2025 appearance on The Jay Shetty Podcast that she had entered therapy to manage the transition into a new phase after public service and full-time parenting. She described the work as a tune-up intended to address old habits and guilt while making choices that were now her own.

Malia graduated from Harvard in 2021 and released her directorial debut, The Heart, in 2024. Sasha graduated from the University of Southern California in 2023. The family appeared together at the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago in June.

U. Schmidt--BTZ