'Marriage isn't 50/50, ever.'
Michelle Obama is getting candid about the rough patches in her marriage to Barack Obama.
The former first lady sat down for a panel with Revolt TV earlier this month -- alongside Kelly Rowland, H.E.R., Winnie Harlow, Tina Knowles-Lawson and moderator Angie Martinez -- where she admitted that there was a 10-year period early in her marriage when she "couldn't stand" her husband.
"People think I'm being catty by saying this — it's like, there were 10 years where I couldn't stand my husband," Michelle said. "And guess when it happened? When those kids were little."
The couple share two daughters -- Malia, 24, and Sasha, 21 -- and Michelle said that it was during their daughters' early years, as Barack was beginning his political career, that the animosity between the couple hit its highest point.
"We're trying to build our careers and, you know, worrying about school and who's doing what and what, I was like, 'Ugh, this isn't even,'" she recalled. "And guess what? Marriage isn't 50/50, ever, ever."
"There are times I'm 70, he's 30. There are times he's 60, 40, but guess what? 10 years — we've been married 30. I would take 10 bad years over 30 — it's just how you look at it," she added. "And people give up . . . 'Five years; I can't take it.'"
Michelle and Barack met at the Chicago law firm Sidley Austin in 1989 after they both graduated from Harvard Law School. They married in 1992 and celebrated their 30th anniversary earlier this year -- their rocky period long behind them.
Barack, 61, shared a sweet series of photos on his Instagram page to memorialize the anniversary, writing, "After 30 years, I'm not sure why you look exactly the same and I don't. I do know that I won the lottery that day—that I couldn't have asked for a better life partner. Happy anniversary, sweetheart!"
For her part, Michelle, 58, also had nothing but sweet words for her husband.
"Happy anniversary to the man I love!" she wrote. "These last 30 years have been an adventure, and I'm grateful to have you by my side. Here's to a lifetime together. I love you @BarackObama."
RELATED CONTENT:
