All Of Barack Obama's Annoying Habits That Michelle Has Publicly Put On Blast

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Barack and Michelle Obama have often given glimpses into their life as a married couple, and they couldn't be more relatable. Michelle's honest remarks about marital struggles have even sparked divorce rumors about the Obamas that are hard to ignore. Not to worry, she revealed on "The Diary of a CEO" podcast that she would be honest if she and Barack were on the brink of a split, telling host Steven Bartlett, "If I were having problems with my husband, everybody would know about it." That's likely true, as transparency is one of Michelle's greatest strengths, including about Barack's bad habits.

Indeed, the former first lady has shared a great deal about her marriage over the years, including the disadvantages of having Barack Obama as her husband. According to Michelle, Barack has a slew of annoying habits that drive her up the wall. From his hard-to-shake to full-on battles over the thermostat with his wife, Barack really knows how to get under Michelle's skin. All the same, Barack and Michelle underwent a stunning relationship transformation, with normal marriage quirks like these to prove it.

Growing up in Hawaii means adopting a slower pace of life. But for Honolulu native Barack Obama, his island-life mindset wasn't going to hold up in his marriage. "Well, Barack, you know, he had to adjust to what 'on time' was," Michelle Obama revealed in a March 2025 episode of her and her brother Craig Robinson's podcast, "IMO." She added, "I've got this husband who's like, when it's time to leave, it's 3 o'clock, he's getting up and going to the bathroom." Luckily, Michelle said that after 30 years of marriage, Barack has adjusted to being punctual.

However, Barack's tardiness was the first red flag that Michelle noticed about him when they met. The political power couple first met in 1989 at the Sidney & Austin law firm in Chicago, where Barack was interning, and Michelle was the associate appointed to show him around. When Michelle first met Barack, she thought he was a slacker, per what she laid bare on "The Diary of a CEO." "He comes in, he's late. So, I'm thinking, 'Okay, this guy is trifling,' because in the Robinson family, we didn't do late." In another interview on "Good Morning America," Michelle revealed that even Barack's walk was too slow. "Barack Obama has always walked like Barack Obama, like he's got all the time in the world," she shared. Even with that terrible first impression, the former president was able to woo Michelle into a first date, and the rest is history.

Now that Barack and Michelle Obama are empty nesters, the husband and wife apparently often get stuck in pockets of silence at the dinner table. Michelle divulged on the "IMO" podcast that they will even spare stories throughout the day just to tell them at the table. Dr. Orna Guralnik, a psychoanalyst and the episode's guest, suggested that Michelle and Barack dive into what they're really thinking about in that moment, but the "Becoming" author didn't necessarily think that was a good idea, as one of Barack's habits at the table was all she thought about.

"Because how many times does somebody ask, 'What are you thinking about?' And you're like, 'Well, let me make up a thing,'" said Michelle, adding, "Because I don't actually want to tell you what I was thinking about, which was like, 'The way you're chewing makes me want to smack you upside the head.'" Guralnik validated that the sound of chewing can really bother people. She mentioned misophonia, a neurological disorder in which people are emotionally triggered by sounds made by others, including chewing, breathing, and yawning, according to Harvard Health. Michelle took note of it, adding that even her and Barack's daughters, Sasha and Malia, get easily annoyed over their dad's chewing. But as far as the irritation having any deeper meaning, Guralnik assured her that it doesn't.

Not all fights are as trivial as punctuality and mouth sounds. During Revolt's "The Cross-Generational Conversation" in December 2022, Michelle Obama opened up about the challenges that marriage brings. "People think I'm being catty when I say this, but there were 10 years when I couldn't stand my husband," she said. The mom-of-two admitted that most of her and Barack Obama's tension had to do with their parenting responsibilities. Barack's having arguably the most important job in the United States certainly didn't help their family dynamic.

Indeed, in an episode of "IMO," Michelle admitted to singing the lyrics to Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle" whenever her husband took too much time away from home — for which Barack's not done paying dues. "Because that song is so profound. 'When you comin' home son, I don't know when,'" she would sing, adding, "I was like, 'You're going to look up, and the girls will be gone.'" Similarly, in her 2022 book, "The Light We Carry," Michelle wrote that one of her least proudest moments as a mom — where she yelled at her children for playing too late — was fueled by resentment that Barack was in a meeting in Washington, D.C.

Barack addressed all of Michelle's confessions in a 2023 interview on CBS Mornings, revealing that their marriage has healed significantly since they left the White House. "I did not fully appreciate... the degree of stress and tension for her, knowing that not just me and Michelle were under scrutiny and in this strange environment, but that we were raising our daughters in a kind of situation that just wasn't normal." He added that now that Sasha and Malia were adults and out of the house, Michelle is "a little more forgiving of all my flaws."

Then again, Michelle Obama can only be so forgiving. One thing she says she is no-nonsense about is the climate of their bedroom. During a chat with Amy Poehler on the comedian's podcast, "Good Hang," in May 2025, Michelle admitted that she runs warm at night, which is why she needs the temperature in her and Barack's bedroom to be exactly 68 degrees. When her husband complains, she tells him to layer up; she's not changing the temperature. However, she said that sometimes she wakes up suspiciously hot, knowing full well who the culprit of the high temp is.

"It's a battle with a partner," Michelle told Poehler, referring to her seemingly always cold husband, Barack Obama, who would rather the temperature be a few degrees higher. But Michelle doesn't let him get away with it. "Sometimes I wake up hot, and I'll wake him up [and say], 'Did you touch the thermostat? You touched the thermostat, didn't you?' And he's like, 'I didn't, I swear to god!'" It seems that Barack has learned not to keep the house too warm, as Michelle revealed, "He now knows. He's afraid of the thermostat" — if that isn't a hilarious sign that Michelle wears the pants in the relationship...

Later in the conversation with Amy Poehler, the "Saturday Night Live" alum admitted that she respects how "teasing is your love language." It's no secret that Michelle and Barack Obama's relationship is full of laughter, but the former first lady said that she doesn't always let her husband get away with his habit of ragging on her. "See, we have a deal, Barack and I, in our marriage, and it started very early," she began. "It's like, 'I can tease you, but you cannot tease me..."

Even though she can't take it, Michelle said she still dishes it out, especially when she has her daughters on her side. "When me, Malia, and Sasha, all of us are together, he doesn't stand a chance," she mused. "We mercilessly go after him." Barack himself has even alluded to his role as the punching bag in the household. During an appearance on Dax Shepard's podcast, "Armchair Expert," in 2021, the "A Promised Land" author mentioned how his daughters and wife will constantly mock him for everything from his ears to his style, and being called an "idiot" for getting names in pop culture wrong. Barack admitted, "I am generally the brunt of every joke in my household." But judging by his tone of voice, he wouldn't have it any other way.