French media goes into overdrive over Beyonce-Obama affair rumour

The French media is having a busy time. Soon after it hounded President Francois Hollande over an alleged extra-marital affair, it now has two bigger names to “shock and awe” the world. On Monday, the French media began alleging that there is trouble in the marriage of US president Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, and that he is having an affair with singer Beyonce. [caption id=“attachment_1386625” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Barack Obama and Beyonce Knowles. Reuters image[/caption] According to report which appeared on Mail Online, the comments over the alleged affair were first reported on Europe One radio station, and are being made primarily by  Pascal Rostain, the photographer who took pictures of French president Francois Hollande secretly visiting his lover. “You know, at this moment, in the United States, there’s something huge which is about to happen,” Rostain told interviewer Jean-Marc Morandini, according to Mail Online. “Indeed, it will come out tomorrow in the Washington Post. We cannot say that it is from the gutter press - a supposed liaison between President Barack Obama and Beyonce. I can assure you that the world will talk.” However, the Washington Post denied that such a story is in the works, and a spokesperson for Beyonce called the alleged affair “absurd”. According to a report in the Daily Mail, Kristine Coratti, director of communications for the newspaper, said: ‘I can tell you that it’s false’, adding ‘The Washington Post does not produce articles’ of this kind. According to IBTimes, Morandini pointed to photographs as “evidence” of the affair. “First, there are still or television images of the Obama couple becoming a little distant. It is legitimate to ask questions," said Morandini. “We found the same thing, always through images, between [French President] Hollande and [his partner Valerie Trierweiler]. Afterwards, there was the rumor. Same for Obama and Beyonce, for example. Just because it’s a rumor doesn’t mean that one should not go in the field to check. We should not forget Marilyn [Monroe] or Monica Lewinsky.” Beyonce has had a close relationship with the Obamas since Barack Obama’s tenure as US president. Beyonce has been a vocal supporter of Obama, and in 2012 penned an open letter where she expressed her admiration of the president. Obama has also reciprocated this admiration, stating that Beyonce is a worthy female role model for his daughters, Sasha and Malia.