Michelle Obama appeared noticeably slimmer than usual as she enjoyed an upscale dinner outing in Beverly Hills with her daughters, Malia and Sasha, while her husband, Barack Obama, was absent.
The former First Lady, now 62, was photographed looking particularly slender as she arrived at the popular celebrity dining spot, Funke, accompanied by her Secret Service detail.
Michelle opted for a laid-back look, sporting a trucker-style jacket, a snug Henley top, and light-wash bootcut jeans, as she spent a chic evening out with her daughters Malia, 27, and Sasha, 24.
Meanwhile, Barack, 64, was noticeably missing from the family gathering, as he was busy campaigning in Austin, Texas. His recent remarks in The New Yorker have sparked more questions about the couple’s relationship.
During the interview, Barack candidly shared, “She wants me to take things easier and devote more time to her, cherishing what we have left of our lives.”
He further admitted, “It does lead to real tension at home, and it’s something that frustrates her.”
Healthy eating advocate Michelle has looked leaner in recent months after debuting a ripped new look in a November photoshoot with celebrated photographer Annie Leibovitz.
Her toned arms and taut stomach sparked unfounded accusations that the mother-of-two had used Ozempic or similar GLP-1 meds to dramatically slim down.
Michelle Obama looked noticeable slimmer as she stepped out for dinner at celebrity hotspot Funke in Beverly Hills Monday night
The former first lady kept things casual in jeans and a Henley shirt, with her braided hair pulled back
Meanwhile, Barack Obama was absent from the Beverly Hills dinner despite ongoing efforts to shut down split rumors. He was pictured on the campaign trail in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday
Others pointed to strains in her 34-year marriage to Democrat icon Barack.
The Obamas have sought to quell talk of a breakup by posting cozy selfies – but the pair are rarely seen together in public and appear to live almost separate lives.
Michelle famously told a TV roundtable in 2022 that ‘there were ten years where I couldn’t stand my husband.’
She sounded equally unenthused in an April 2025 episode of the IMO podcast she co-hosts with her older brother Craig Robinson.
‘You’re gonna have a bad decade,’ she sighed.
‘If the odds were you’re going to be married to your partner for 50 years and ten of those years could be bad, you’d sign up for it.
‘You know, and that’s really how it works out.’
Rumors of an impending split hit fever pitch when Michelle skipped out on two high profile events that Barack attended solo in January 2025.
Obama sisters Malia and Sasha were seen joining their mother for dinner at the swanky restaurant
Malia, 27, who now works in the film industry, stepped out in a floral, knee-length cami dress
Sasha, 24, also kept things casual in a double denim look, paired with pointed flats
Sources close to the former First Lady said her ‘visceral hatred’ for President Donald Trump meant she was never going to attend his inauguration.
But her no-show at Jimmy Carter’s funeral was harder to explain days after she hailed his ‘integrity, respect and compassion’ in a joint statement with Barack.
Michelle has had to contend with tabloid reports of a blockbuster affair between the charismatic former commander-in-chief and Friends star Jennifer Aniston.
Aniston was romantically linked to Obama in a 2024 story published in a down market supermarket mag which promised ‘the truth about Jen & Barack.’
The actress dismissed the article as ‘absolutely untrue’ and told chat show host Jimmy Kimmel: ‘I’ve met him once. I know Michelle more than him.’
Michelle has also dealt with viral speculation that her husband may be secretly gay.
Barack wrote to an ex-girlfriend in 1982 while he was in his early twenties to confess: ‘I make love to men daily, but in the imagination.’
The former first lady appeared relaxed as she left the Beverly Hills restaurant flanked by Secret Service agents
Michelle has sparked fresh speculation about her dramatic weight loss after debuting a noticeably leaner frame in recent months
The Obamas have faced mounting speculation about their relationship after appearing separately at several recent high-profile events
His supporters brushed off the remarks as intellectual musings when an unredacted version of the letter surfaced in 2023 but reps for the former prez refused to comment.
Barack and Michelle met in 1989 when they both worked at a law firm in Chicago. They married in 1992 and became the biggest power couple in Democrat politics.
Michelle has spoken candidly in the past, however, about the ‘resentment’ she harbored for having to put her own career on hold to be a mom while Barack’s flourished.
In her 2018 memoir, Becoming, she admitted the pair had gone for marriage therapy after the birth of their daughters.
Malia was born in 1998, while they had Sasha in 2001, both conceived by IVF.
The girls are currently living in LA, where Sasha graduated from the University of Southern California in May 2023 with a degree in sociology.
Malia graduated from Harvard two years earlier with a bachelor’s degree in visual and environmental studies before pursuing a career as a film director.
