In a revealing moment during the latest episode of his wife’s podcast, former President Barack Obama made the case that heterosexual men — particularly fathers — need gay friends in their inner circle in order to develop “empathy and kindness,” especially if their children end up identifying as gay or “non-binary.”

Obama made the remarks on “IMO,” a new podcast co-hosted by former First Lady Michelle Obama and her brother, Craig Robinson. In a discussion centered on raising boys, the former president veered into a discussion about identity politics and his college years, praising a homosexual professor for helping shape his views.

“No matter how good the dad is, he can’t be everything, and then that boy may need somebody to give the boy some perspective on the dad,” Obama said, explaining that young men benefit from male mentors outside their family structure.

He then cited a former professor at Occidental College — a man who was gay during a time “when the gay folks still weren’t out” — who became “one of [his] favorite professors” and challenged his viewpoints in class.

“One of the most valuable things I learned as a guy was I had a gay professor in college... who became one of my favorite professors and was a great guy and would call me out when I started saying stuff that was ignorant,” he said.

Obama appeared to suggest that straight men must have LGBT influences in their social groups in order to be adequately prepared to raise children who may reject traditional gender norms.

“You need that to show empathy and kindness,” he continued. “And by the way, you need that person in your friend group, so that if you then have a boy who’s gay or non-binary or whatever, they have somebody that they can go, ‘OK, I’m not alone in this.’”

The remark underscores a broader cultural shift among progressive elites, who increasingly advocate for parents to actively incorporate identity-based ideology into family life — even before such issues arise. Conservatives have long warned that such thinking erodes traditional family values and replaces them with politically correct social engineering.

In his 2020 memoir, A Promised Land, Obama credited the same professor — Lawrence Goldyn, a European politics teacher at Occidental — with helping him confront his “ignorant” past and embrace LGBT perspectives.

“Once I got to college and became friends with fellow students and professors who were openly gay, though, I realized the overt discrimination and hate they were subject to, as well as the loneliness and self-doubt that the dominant culture imposed on them,” he wrote. “I felt ashamed of my past behavior — and learned to do better.”

Later in the episode, the Obamas shifted tone to laugh off ongoing rumors that their marriage is on the rocks. The couple addressed the viral divorce speculation, with the former president joking that Michelle “took me back.”

“She took me back!” Obama said with a laugh. “It was touch and go for a while.”

Michelle’s notable absence from several public events — including President Donald Trump’s inauguration and the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter — had fueled growing online speculation that the Obamas were separated. While Michelle previously addressed the rumors solo, this marked the first time the two discussed them publicly as a couple.

“It’s my husband, ya’ll!” Michelle opened the podcast, responding to the rumors. “When we aren’t [in the same room], folks think we’re divorced.”

Craig Robinson recalled being confronted about the rumors, saying a woman in Kansas asked him, “What did he do?” — assuming Barack Obama was to blame.

“There hasn’t been one moment in our marriage where I’ve thought about quitting my man,” Michelle said during the segment. “We’ve had some really hard times. We’ve had a lot of fun times, a lot of adventures, and I have become a better person because of the man I’m married to.”

“Don’t make me cry now,” Barack replied. “Don’t let me start tearing up now.”