The Michelle and Barack Obama divorce rumors have been almost as persistent as the Hailey and Justin Bieber divorce rumors lately. Last December, people noticed that Michelle did not attend the funeral for former President Jimmy Carter with her husband; she was apparently on vacation in Hawaii at the time. She was also noticeably absent from T*rump’s inauguration in January, which Barack did attend. And since leaving the White House eight years ago, Michelle’s incorporated more leisure activities and personal projects into her busy schedule. (God forbid a woman have hobbies!) Do all of these harmless facts automatically mean that Michelle and Barack Obama are divorcing? Not exactly… Here’s how Michelle responded to those rumors.

Are Michelle And Barack Obama Divorcing? Rumors, Michelle’s Response

Michelle Obama Reacts To Barack Obama Divorce Rumors

For some reason, people think that Michelle having her own life and not attending every event with Barack must mean they’re not married anymore. During a recent appearance on Sophia Bush’s Work in Progress podcast, the former First Lady addressed the divorce rumors and opened up about prioritizing her own wants and needs. “It’s the first time in my life all of my choices are for me,” she reflected. “We as women, I think…we struggle with disappointing people. I mean, so much so that this year people were…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.”

She emphasized that she is literally “a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself.” Michelle continued, “But that’s what society does to us. We start actually, finally going, ‘What am I doing? Who am I doing this for?’ 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.” Preach.

Rest assured: Michelle and Barack are very much still together — and thriving! This past Valentine’s Day, Barack shared an adorable couple selfie on Instagram and wrote in his caption: “Thirty-two ears together and you still take my breath away.” Michelle posted this same photo on V-Day and wrote, “You’re my rock. Always have been. Always will be.” Ugh, I love them so much.

Of course, no marriage is perfect, and Michelle and Barack had their highs and lows over the years like any other couple. During a recent talk at Hamilton College, Barack recalled being “in a deep deficit with [his] wife” after leaving the White House. “I have been trying to dig myself out of that hole by doing occasionally fun things,” he joked.

Yeah, I don’t think these two are divorcing any time soon (or ever).