--- 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. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=2bfe2f6b-c044-4c27-8de5-18de319257f5&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## 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) ## Transcript [00:00] [ INAUDIBLE ] [00:05] But it's hard to obviously judge. [ LAUGH ] [00:10] Something that is a portrait of you. But [00:16] what I can say unequivocally, is that I [00:20] am in awe of Gandhi's gifts and [00:25] what he and Amy have given to [00:29] this country and to the world. And we are both [00:33] very grateful to have been the subject of their [00:37] attention. For this great moment. I've so many thoughts [00:41] and feelings rolling around inside of me now. I am [00:45] humble, I am honor, I'm proud but [00:50] most of all I am so incredibly grateful to all the people [00:55] who came before me in this journey. The folks [00:59] who built the foundation upon which I stand. As [01:05] you may have guessed, I don't think there is anybody [01:08] in my family who has ever had a portrait done- [01:10] [ LAUGH ] Let alone a portrait that will be hanging in [01:14] the National Gallery. At least as far as I know, mom. [01:19] The act of Michelle Obama being her authentic self [01:22] became a profound statement that engaged all of us. [01:26] Because what you represent to this country is an ideal, [01:31] a human being with integrity. Intellect, confidence, and [01:36] compassion. This is who we as a society decide [01:40] to celebrate. This is our humanity. This is our ability to [01:44] say, I matter, I was here. The [01:48] ability to be the first African American painter To paint [01:52] the first African American president of the United [01:55] States is absolutely overwhelming. 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