Why Michelle Obama's Vacation With Tom Hanks on a $255M Luxury Yacht Caused a Huge Stir

Former first lady Michelle Obama was spotted in September 2023, away from her husband Barack Obama, on an exotic super boat vacation with her affluent friends. Oscar winner Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson, together with Steven Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw, were all visible in the widely shared photos from their holiday in Italy, which created quite a commotion. As per Nicki Swift, internet users believed that there was unrest between the Obamas, "It seems #MichelleObama went on vacation without her husband, while enjoying the company of Tom Hanks in Italy before boarding Steven Spielberg's $255 million superyacht," a critic wrote on X.

Another X user speculated: "More importantly, why is Michelle Obama vacationing in Europe with Tom Hanks and a bunch of celebrities for months without Barack? Is she pissed about the chef?" Someone else pointed out: "Michelle Obama is celebrating this momentous occasion on a yacht with Tom Hanks. Barack and Michelle haven’t been seen together in quite some time."

However, the Hanks and Obamas have remained friends for the longest of time, and according to People, this is not the first time Michelle has vacationed with her friends. The group of friends were photographed relaxing in 2017 off the coast of Tahiti on the $300 million, 450-foot yacht The Rising Sun, owned by billionaire David Geffen. After stopping at Le Taha'a Island for lunch, the group continued on to Bora Bora. Oprah Winfrey, who was present, shared that she 'can't talk about' the opulent French Polynesian yacht cruise she took with Bruce Springsteen, Tom Hanks, Michelle, and Barack. “What happens on the boat, stays on the boat,” she said back then.

However, Hanks joked about their 'secret trip' while appearing on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. “That made the news, it was really interesting. Both Oprah and I were really pissed off." “Look, imagine what it could’ve been like it, triple it. It was off the scale, fantastic,” the Forrest Gump actor revealed. Hanks hilariously stated that he went sightseeing on a rented 'undersized, girl's bike' with the former president and First Lady. The Medal of Freedom recipient also added that the Secret Service had an 'array of bikes' to pick from. “It was rusted like all over, it only had one gear … all the others were like mountain bikes … it was so bad,” Hanks said.

Regarding the nature of the conversations that Oprah and Springsteen had with the Obamas, Hanks recalled attempting to persuade the 44th president to divulge material that was considered 'classified.' Meanwhile, Barack joked about the given challenge and told the Finch actor, "I'd like to share a ton of stories from it, but they're classified." Michelle and Hanks have always been good friends. As per People, in October 2019, the former First Lady received the Hanks Caregiver Champion Award, which is given to individuals who have provided exceptional support to military caregivers. 

“You all changed me forever,” she said emotionally while receiving the award. “You have changed the way I see service, you’ve changed the way I see war, you’ve changed the way I see this entire country. Whether we simply talk about the values we like to pride ourselves on, values like duty and honor and patriotism, or if we actually live them out.”