Michelle Obama has revealed a longstanding marital "deal" she struck with former President Barack Obama early in their relationship: she is allowed to tease him, but he is not allowed to tease her back. The former first lady shared the lighthearted rule during an appearance on Good Hang with Amy Poehler, released Tuesday.
"See, we have a deal, Barack and I, in our marriage, and it started very early," Michelle said. "It's like, 'I can tease you, but you cannot tease me.'" She laughed as she recounted how the former president occasionally tries to challenge the rule. "So when he does, I was like, 'Oh, oh, oh, oh, wait a minute. What's going on here?' And he's like, 'I'm teasing you.' I was like, 'None of that.'"
The teasing dynamic, she explained, is not just confined to the couple. Their daughters-Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23-also join in. "When me, Malia, and Sasha are all of us are together, he doesn't stand a chance," Michelle joked. "We mercilessly go after him. So yes, teasing is our love language, and I tell him that."
The Obamas, who married in 1992, have long been admired for their public partnership and personal chemistry. Michelle described her teasing as a form of affection, a habit she inherited from her upbringing. "I said, 'When I tease you, it's like, you know, it's like a love tap," she told Poehler, crediting her mother's playful nature for instilling the behavior.
The conversation offered a lighter, more intimate glimpse into the Obamas' marriage, a subject Michelle has addressed with increasing candor in recent interviews and her memoir Becoming. On Poehler's podcast, she said teasing reflects familiarity and trust. "Both Barack and Craig will say that I don't let them tease me," she said, referring to her older brother, Craig Robinson.
While Michelle frequently pokes fun at her husband, she made clear there are limits to the reversal.
The interview sparked enthusiastic reactions from listeners, with fans describing the episode as charming and authentic. It also added to a growing portrait of Michelle as both self-assured and self-aware in her sixth decade. "I think at 61, I'm finally owning my wisdom," she said. "I think it takes women until we're about 60 to be like, 'I think I know a thing or two.'"
