Michelle Obama revealed that her husband, former President Barack Obama, once advocated for expanding their family, though she firmly resisted the idea of having a third child. Speaking on the latest episode of Kylie Kelce's "Not Gonna Lie" podcast, the former first lady candidly discussed her perspective on motherhood, family priorities, and her long-standing disinterest in pursuing political office.
"I think I've been lucky with these two," Obama, 61, said of her daughters Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23. "Barack was like, 'We should have a third,' and I was like, 'Dude.'" The exchange drew laughter from host Kylie Kelce, who is currently expecting her fourth child with NFL star Jason Kelce.
Reflecting on her early days of motherhood, Obama shared how deeply she felt the weight of responsibility. "I think the sadness or the postpartum that I felt with my kids really came from, like, you love these babies so much. You immediately, you're connected, and you think, 'Oh my god, all you have is me. I feel so bad for you. I wish you had a parent.'"
During the conversation, Obama, who is known for prioritizing her family, highlighted the importance of shielding her daughters from the spotlight, especially following their years in the White House. When asked about the frequent calls for her to run for president, she dismissed the idea outright. "I wanted them to have the freedom of not having the eyes of the world on them," she explained. "And so when people ask me would I ever run, the answer is no. If you ask me that, then you have absolutely no idea the sacrifice that your kids make when your parents are in that role."
She added, she's "not interested in politics in that way. The thought of, like, putting my girls back into that spotlight when they are just now establishing themselves. I think we've done enough ... they've already served their time."
The former first lady appeared on the podcast to promote her newly launched media project, "IMO (In My Opinion)," which she co-hosts with her brother, Craig Robinson. The show, which aims to spark thoughtful discussions, debuted on March 10, but has struggled to gain immediate traction. According to public view counts, its first two episodes drew approximately 47,000 and 15,000 views within their first 24 hours.
In contrast, other political and celebrity podcasts have launched with significantly higher numbers. California Governor Gavin Newsom's podcast debuted with over 743,000 views, while episodes of Joe Rogan's show regularly pull in hundreds of thousands to millions of views.
Obama and Kelce also joked about being "girl moms," with Obama quipping, "That's because that's what your husband deserved. That's what I told Barack, 'Dude, you need a bunch of women in your life to smack you around.'"
