In a powerful convo with Michelle and Craig Robinson, Obama explains how his college professor changed his perspective.
By Ty Cole
July 22, 2025 / 9:11 AM
Barack Obama is all for having a diverse friend group.
The former president did not hold back during an interview on his wife, Michelle Obama’s, podcast, “IMO” podcast, which she hosts with her brother Craig Robinson and reflects on his relationship with his gay mentor.
“One of the most valuable things I learned as a guy was, I had a gay professor in college at a time when openly gay folks still weren’t out,” he began to share with Michelle and Craig.
“Who became one of my favorite professors and was a great guy, and would call me out when I started saying stuff that was ignorant. You need that to show empathy and kindness. And by the way, you need that person in your friend group so that if you then have a boy who’s gay, or non-binary, or what have you…they have somebody that they can go, ‘Okay, I’m not alone in this.’ That, I think, is creating community. I know it’s corny, but it’s what they need.”
In the same interview, The Obamas also acknowledge the divorce rumors.
““She took me back!” Barack exclaimed on the episode
“It was touch and go for a while. These are the kinds of things that I just miss. So I don’t even know this stuff’s going on and then somebody will mention it to me and I’m like what are you talking about?”
“There hasn’t been one moment in our marriage where I’ve thought about quitting on my man,” Michelle added.
“And we’ve had some really hard times and we’ve had a lot of fun times, a lot of adventures and I have become a better person because of the man I’m married to.”