‘I’ve Never Met Michelle Obama’: Kumail Nanjiani Addresses Bizarre Affair Rumor That Reached His Wife
In the latest example of how unfounded rumors can proliferate through social media and reach even Hollywood insiders, Marvel actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani found himself at the center of bizarre gossip in 2025: that he was having an affair with former First Lady Michelle Obama. The twist? As Nanjiani revealed on December 25, 2025, he has never even met her.
The Pakistani-American actor, best known for his roles in Marvel’s Eternals, HBO’s Silicon Valley, and the Oscar-nominated film The Big Sick, addressed the absurd rumor during an appearance on comedian Caleb Hearon’s podcast “So True,” laughing about how the false claim spread far enough that multiple people—including a mutual friend of his and his wife—actually brought it up to them.
How the Rumor Reached His Wife
According to The Daily Beast, Nanjiani, 47, recounted on the December 25 podcast episode: “There was a rumor going around about me last year that I was having an affair with Michelle Obama.”
The gossip became so widespread that a mutual friend of Nanjiani and his wife, screenwriter Emily V. Gordon, felt compelled to alert her. “Our mutual friend pulled Emily aside and was like, ‘Hey, so I heard that Kumail and Michelle Obama are like doing it,'” Nanjiani told podcast host Hearon.
According to The Daily Beast, Nanjiani said the rumor had made its way back to him more than once: “Multiple people brought it up to me.”
Then came the ultimate punchline. According to all sources, Nanjiani shut down the rumor plainly: “I’ve never met Michelle Obama.”
Nanjiani’s Reaction: “I Was So Excited!”
Far from being upset or concerned, Nanjiani found the absurd gossip amusing. According to LADbible, when Hearon congratulated him jokingly on the supposed affair, Nanjiani openly admitted the murmurs made him “so excited!”
According to The Daily Beast, Nanjiani, who has been married to Emily V. Gordon for almost 20 years, noted that his wife wasn’t bothered by the rumor either. “She wasn’t even upset,” he said.
“There’s been this persistent rumor that Barack is stepping out with Jen Aniston. But what I’m saying is, my friend Kumail, you’re up there with Jen Aniston in terms of affair rumors.”
The couple, whose real-life love story inspired their 2017 Oscar-nominated film The Big Sick, were both apparently secure enough in their relationship to laugh off the bizarre claim.
The Jennifer Aniston Connection
During the podcast conversation, host Caleb Hearon connected Nanjiani’s rumor to another high-profile piece of unsubstantiated relationship gossip that has circulated about the Obamas.
Hearon told Nanjiani: “There’s been this persistent rumor that Barack is stepping out with Jen Aniston. But what I’m saying is, my friend Kumail, you’re up there with Jen Aniston in terms of affair rumors.”
According to The Daily Beast, actress Jennifer Aniston addressed and denied the Barack Obama rumor in 2024, telling Jimmy Kimmel she was “not mad at it,” but that it was “absolutely untrue.”
According to LADbible, Nanjiani joked in response that both Obamas might be “slumming it” if there were any truth to either rumor, with Hearon joking: “You don’t want to see one of the leaders of the free world with an actor.”
The Origins Remain Unclear
According to The Daily Beast, Nanjiani “did not identify where the rumor began or how it spread so far beyond a fringe corner of social media.” The actor’s statement suggests the gossip started online and gained enough traction to reach people in Hollywood circles who actually know him and his wife personally.
The rumor appears to be part of what The Daily Beast characterized as “a long-running tradition of online ‘ships’—fan-made pairings that can veer from playful to surreal.”
However, in this case, the “ship” moved beyond internet fan fiction into gossip that people were apparently taking seriously enough to mention to the supposed participants.
Social Media Reactions
According to social media posts reported by multiple outlets, the story generated significant attention when it broke on December 25-26, 2025. New York Magazine’s Vulture shared the story on X (formerly Twitter), prompting various reactions.
One X user commented, according to the platform: “Seriously worried about how stupid you’d have to be to believe this,” reflecting skepticism that anyone would credit such an obviously false rumor.
The story was widely covered by entertainment media outlets including The Daily Beast, E! Online, Yahoo News, LADbible, DNYUZ, and others, all treating it as an example of bizarre internet gossip rather than as a credible allegation requiring investigation.
This story was aggregated by AI from several news reports and edited by American Kahani’s News Desk.
