In recent times, Barack and Michelle Obama have had to weather rumors of infidelity and divorce but the power couple aren’t strangers to being at the center of gossip and speculation. While they’ve been able to quell the separation rumors with a Valentine’s Day post, there is one conspiracy theory that has been plaguing them for years now.
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Many might think that Errol Musk‘s recent statement about Michelle Obama being a transwoman is the first time someone has made such a claim, but he just happens to be the latest in a line of people who have propagated the rumor.
To the uninformed, the father of tech mogul and DOGE head Elon Musk, during an appearance on a podcast in February, claimed that comedian Joan Rivers died two months after she had publicly said that Michelle Obama was a man. Errol seemed to be hinting that he also believed that Michelle was indeed a man and Rivers outing her was the reason behind her death.
“Michelle Obama is a man, obviously, there are pictures with a 9inch Schlong hanging….”
– Errol Musk pic.twitter.com/Kl87vQadUL
— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) February 13, 2025
The last person to do this on a public platform was Jason Whitlock. In June 2023, the podcaster spent much of a two-hour-long episode talking about rumors surrounding the Obamas. He seemed to goad listeners to probe whether Michelle Obama really was a biological man and to question whether she was a transwoman concealing her gender identity from the world.
Whitlock also went on to push the possibility of Barack Obama being gay, a rumor that is intertwined with the speculation surrounding Michelle Obama’s gender identity.
Former NBA player Royce White, who was a guest on the episode, commented on the transwoman rumors, saying, “First of all, I don’t know if Michelle is packing a sack or not. I can’t be sure. I’ve never seen her sack. I’d have to get up close to really know. Never been anywhere near the Obamas.”
Commenting on the nature of these rumors, an Associate Professor of Print and Digital Media at the University of Texas, said “These claims will likely not go away. They seem rooted in spite, sexism, and racism, which fact-checks cannot cure.”
Newly Paul added, “By questioning her sexuality and her physical appearance, the memes attempt to paint her as completely opposite to the traditional notions of a first lady as feminine.”
But the origins of the transwoman rumors circle back to the individual mentioned in the statement made by Errol Musk, Joan Rivers. In 2014, the comedian was recorded, calling Barack Obama gay and using a slur associated with trans people while talking about Michelle Obama, on the streets of New York.
Rivers seemed to hint at a wide range of people being aware of Michelle’s gender identity, saying, “We all know.”
The clip went viral almost instantly and Rivers released a statement through her representative shortly after. It read, “I think it’s a compliment. She’s [Michelle Obama] so attractive, tall, with a beautiful body, great face, does great makeup. Take a look and go back to La Cage Au Follies (sic). The most gorgeous women are transgender.”
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The rest of the statement read, “Stop it already … and if you want to talk about ‘politically correct,’ I think this is a ‘politically incorrect’ attack on me because I’m old, Jewish, a woman and a ‘hetty’ – a heterosexual … and I plan to sue the reporter who, when he turned off his camera, tried to touch me inappropriately on the a– – luckily he hit my ankle. Read the book … if you think that’s silly, wait to (sic) you see what I say about FDR and Eleanor!”
Joan Rivers died two months after the viral video surfaced online, and thus began the rumors that she was silenced for outing Michelle Obama. But in reality, Rivers had died days after she had stopped breathing during a routine endoscopy.
However, the timing of her death and the conspiratorial nature of fringe media outlets combined with certain members of the opposition propagating the rumor gave more ground and credibility to the conspiracy theory to thrive.
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Addressing the rumor in her book Becoming, Michelle Obama said, “I’ve smiled for photos with people who call my husband horrible names on national television, but still want a framed keepsake for their mantel. I’ve heard about the swampy parts of the internet that question everything about me, right down to whether I’m a woman or a man. A sitting U.S. congressman has made fun of my b-tt. I’ve been hurt. I’ve been furious. But mostly, I’ve tried to laugh this stuff off.”
