--- title: Michelle Obama Says She Got Marriage Counseling With Barack description: Michelle Obama revealed in a candid interview that even she and former president Barack Obama benefitted from marriage counseling. canonical: https://time.com/5450376/michelle-obama-marriage-counseling/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-11-09T16:13:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:12.191Z og:title: Michelle Obama Reveals She and Barack Got Marriage Counsel og:description: "We work on our marriage" og:url: https://time.com/5450376/michelle-obama-marriage-counseling/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltad6e647e53bc1f20/69893eb486f68e03436eaab3/michelle-obama-barack-obama-marriage-counseling.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: Barack And Michelle Obama Attend Portrait Unveiling At Nat'l Portrait Gallery og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Michelle Obama Reveals She and Barack Got Marriage Counsel twitter:description: "We work on our marriage" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltad6e647e53bc1f20/69893eb486f68e03436eaab3/michelle-obama-barack-obama-marriage-counseling.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Michelle Obama Says She and Barack Sought Marriage Counseling When They Needed It > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=767c9f86-aaef-4a5d-912a-89e74da2307a&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=767c9f86-aaef-4a5d-912a-89e74da2307a&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=767c9f86-aaef-4a5d-912a-89e74da2307a&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ## Video: See the Newly Unveiled Official Portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama [Watch (HLS stream): See the Newly Unveiled Official Portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/kjOZ9VOE.m3u8) (2:01)  _Published 2018-02-12. The National Portrait Gallery will unveil the long-awaited portraits of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on Monday._  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Nov 9, 2018 4:13 PM UTC  WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 12: Former U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama participate in the unveiling of their official portraits during a ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, on February 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. The portraits were commissioned by the Gallery, for Kehinde Wiley to create President Obama's portrait, and Amy Sherald that of Michelle Obama. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 12: Former U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama participate in the unveiling of their official portraits during a ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, on February 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. The portraits were commissioned by the Gallery, for Kehinde Wiley to create President Obama's portrait, and Amy Sherald that of Michelle Obama. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) Mark Wilson—Getty Images  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Nov 9, 2018 4:13 PM UTC For many, [Barack](http://time.com/5358013/barack-obama-birthday-57/) and [Michelle Obama](http://time.com/5421731/michelle-obama-white-house/)‘s nearly-[three decades long romance](http://time.com/barack-michelle-obama-love-story-photos/) is the ultimate relationship goals, but the former First Lady wants people to know that a good marriage and partnership takes work — and that it’s not wrong to ask for help when you need it. In an interview with _Good Morning America’_s Robin Roberts, Obama shared that she and the former president have gotten marriage counseling in the past to help “talk out our differences.” “I know too many young couples who struggle and think somehow, there’s something wrong with them,” Obama said. “I want them to know that Michelle and Barack Obama — who have a phenomenal marriage and who love each other — we work on our marriage and we get help with our marriage when we need it.” Obama also shared how while it may seem that marriage is “supposed to be easy,” it is also an opportunity to learn about not only your partner, but yourself. “What I learned about myself was that my happiness was up to me and I started working out more, I started asking for help, not just from him but from other people,” she said. “I stopped feeling guilty.” Watch the Michelle Obama _Good Morning America_ interview below. > [](https://twitter.com/GMA/status/1060875880363307009) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5450376/michelle-obama-marriage-counseling/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5450376/michelle-obama-marriage-counseling/"},"headline":"Michelle Obama Says She and Barack Sought Marriage Counseling When They Needed It","datePublished":"2018-11-09T16:13:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:47:12.191Z","description":"\"We work on our marriage\"","url":"https://time.com/5450376/michelle-obama-marriage-counseling/","keywords":["Newsfeed","celebrities"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltad6e647e53bc1f20/69893eb486f68e03436eaab3/michelle-obama-barack-obama-marriage-counseling.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltad6e647e53bc1f20/69893eb486f68e03436eaab3/michelle-obama-barack-obama-marriage-counseling.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Barack And Michelle Obama Attend Portrait Unveiling At Nat'l Portrait Gallery","caption":"Barack And Michelle Obama Attend Portrait Unveiling At Nat'l Portrait Gallery","creditText":"Mark Wilson—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5450376/michelle-obama-marriage-counseling/","name":"Michelle Obama Says She and Barack Sought Marriage Counseling When They Needed It"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"See the Newly Unveiled Official Portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama","description":"The National Portrait Gallery will unveil the long-awaited portraits of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on Monday.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/kjOZ9VOE/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-02-12T16:39:45.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/kjOZ9VOE.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5450376/michelle-obama-marriage-counseling/","duration":"PT2M1S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5450376/michelle-obama-marriage-counseling/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```