Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama were seen in public for the first time in six months, via new photos captured by BackGrid outside the Lowell Hotel & Restaurant in Lenox Hill, Manhattan.
While Michelle Obama has refuted rumors of a separation amid solo appearances by the former president, the Lowell sighting was the first for the 44th first family since December 2024.
Guarded by the Secret Service, the Obamas stepped out into a car but with markedly different expressions and body language, an observation seconded by The Human Behavior Lab President Susan Constantine.
“Definitely a completely different [public] appearance than we’ve seen in the past,” Constantine told Fox News Digital in a Wednesday interview.
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Former Presidents Barack Obama, left, and Joe Biden, followed by former first ladies Jill Biden, right, and Michelle Obama. (Reuters)
As someone who has observed and analyzed the Obamas for many years, Constantine said their body language was concerning when it comes to the relationship rumors.
“When I’m looking at the photos, the distance between the two; with the two Secret Servicemen in between them [it] is showing that there’s literally a separation,” she said. “Almost like the two [USSS officers] inside are drawing a line between President and Missus Obama.”
“She’s out front-and-center and very joyful; very empowered; a real pep in her step,” Constantine added.
“She’s feeling quite confident in wherever she is at in her headspace, but you wouldn’t even think the two of them are together.”
Constantine remarked that the former president looked more like a Secret Service agent guarding Michelle Obama than her husband.
The former president appeared distraught, distracted and distant, she added.
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“You can see the stress in his face.”
While the two appear different on the surface, there are clues that the two are indeed a longtime couple. In several photos, the Obamas appear to have the same gait, and their heels lift off the ground in incidental tandem, the body language expert continued.
“That’s typical of being somebody who has been with you for a long time.”
However, as the rumors swirl, the body language seen may beget some of that conjecture.
“There is definitely something emotional – something internal between the two of them that is going on… He’s a shadow in her path.”
“It’s sad to see that – she is putting him through the ringer – there is certainly something serious going on in their relationship – I can say that with professional certainty.”
Fox News Digital reached out to a representative for the Obamas for comment.
Michelle Obama was noticeably absent from recent public events with her husband – including former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral.
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Executive branch couples from President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump back to former Vice President Dan Quayle and former second lady Marilyn Quayle were in attendance.
The only such dignitary without a mate was Obama – who spent much of the time instead of joshing with his otherwise political foe: Trump.
The former president was his jovial self as seen in the pool feed of that event.
The Obamas have been married for 32 years, but the former first lady has spoken about the tribulations of her marriage, including on her “IMO” podcast that she co-hosts with brother and former New York Knicks/Milwaukee Bucks Vice President Craig Robinson.
