Michelle Obama divides the internet with confession about daughters Malia and Sasha

Michelle Obama, 62, has divided the internet after she revealed how she really felt about being an empty nester with her husband, former President Barack Obama.

The couple shares two children, daughters Malia, 28, and Sasha, 25, but on a new episode of her podcast, IMO, she admitted that she ‘doesn’t miss them.’

The conversation came about as Michelle and her brother Craig Robinson, who co-hosts the podcast with her, interviewed comedian Jon Stewart in an episode that was released August 26.

The trio spoke about the dynamics of parenting young children while having a demanding work schedule, how it weighs on your spouse over the years and what it feels like when your kids fly the coop.

‘I don’t miss ’em,’ Michelle confessed with a laugh during the episode, referring to her two daughters.

‘I don’t, I love them, I’m going to see them tonight for dinner,’ she continued. ‘I love them, but Barack cried when they went to college and I was like, “Bye…”‘   

‘Now, Friday nights aren’t wrecked with terror and fear about, “Where are you, where are you?”‘ she explained.

Michelle added that she loved her two girls’ ‘growth’ since their ’emancipation.’

Stewart and Robinson then bonded over how much they enjoyed the structure of having kids and working around their schedule, as Michelle joked that she ‘loved’ being able to make her own schedule right now.

‘I’ve had so much quality time with my children, so much, I know them inside and out,’ she added.

Michelle’s admission about not missing her kids has sparked a fierce debate online between parents after a clip from the podcast went viral on X. 

Some, like former The View co-host Meghan McCain, could not believe what the former First Lady had said.

In a post on X, McCain wrote: ‘I am obsessed with my children. Obsessed with them. I cried when my daughter started pre-school two days a week,

‘Whenever the day comes they leave the nest – I am going to have a nervous breakdown and Ben knows this. I could no relate less to what Michelle Obama is saying.’

In response, one user agreed: ‘Same. I don’t understand her at all. I tell my soon-to-be 23-year-old that I wish she would move back in! I miss her so much!’ 

Someone else typed: ‘Mine are in their forties. I still check in. I still worry about them. Momma hen here.’ 

‘I used to think I’d stop worrying about my kids when they turned 18! Boy, was I stupid. I’m glad they’re doing great, but the emotional attachment is always there,’ another shared.

A different user wrote: ‘I’m a grammy and I can’t fathom what [Michelle] is saying. I don’t know one mother that thinks like that! NONE! My children and grandchildren are my world.’ 

Others, however, took Michelle’s side, as they pointed out that things change after you begin to raise teenagers.

‘Sometimes you don’t know what you haven’t experienced. Wait until they leave for college. The sooner you are able to let them free, the faster they grow independent. People experience and give love differently,’ one X user wrote.

A second replied to McCain: ‘Judge much? Everyone’s different. I was excited for my kids to gain independence and to see who they’ve become.’

Someone else agreed: ‘Wait ten to 12 years. Wait until they’re dating, drama with friends, succumbing to social trends, etc. College for them is vacation for you.’

This isn’t the first time that Michelle has opened up about being an empty-nester.

During a 2025 appearance on The Jay Shetty Podcast, she shared that she was in therapy to help her with the ‘transitions’ in her next phase of life.

‘At this phase of my life, I’m in therapy right now because I’m transitioning, you know? I’m 60 years old, I’ve finished a really hard thing in my life with my family intact, I’m an empty nester, my girls are in—you know, they’ve been launched,’ she said at the time. 

Michelle said that she’s got ‘other voices’ to talk to and a ‘new person that’s getting to know me’ as she works through things.

Being out of public service, she now finds herself in a situation where ‘every choice that I’m making is completely mine.’

‘I now don’t have the excuse of, “Well, my kids need this” or “My husband needs that” or “The country needs that.”‘

She says that therapy is a ‘tune-up for this next phase’ in an attempt to ‘unwind some old habits and ‘sort through some old guilt,’ along with focusing on her relationship with her mother.

‘So, I’m getting that tune-up for this next phase because I believe this is a whole ‘nother phase in life for me. And I now have the wisdom to know—let me go get some coaching while I’m doing it,’ she said.

In the years since leaving The White House, Malia graduated from Harvard in 2021 and pursued a career in Hollywood.

Her directorial debut, The Heart, was released in 2024.

Sasha, meanwhile, graduated from the University of Southern California in 2023.

The family was recently seen all together as they opened The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago in June.

During her speech at the Obama Presidential Center, Michelle gushed that there had not been a single second in her marriage to Barack where she was not ‘left in awe.’  

She also commended Barack for his ‘truest essence, stubborn optimism and unflinching courage.’

In addition, Michelle paid tribute to what she said was Barack’s ‘dazzling brilliance, unpretentious decency, ferocious work ethic and unshakable moral fiber.’