Pod Insights Good Hang with Amy Poehler Michelle Obama About this episode Michelle Obama loves bedtime. Amy hangs with the former First Lady as they talk about her new podcast, IMO With Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson; filming 'Parks and Rec' together; keeping the thermostat at 68 degrees; and teasing as a love language.
Host: Amy Poehler
Guests: Craig Robinson and Michelle Obama
Executive Producers: Bill Simmons, Amy Poehler, and Jenna Weiss-Berman
For Paper Kite Productions: Executive producer: Jenna Weiss-Berman; coordinator: Sam Green; supervising producer: Joel Lovell
For The Ringer: Supervising producers: Juliet Litman, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin; video producers: Jack Wilson, Chris Wholers, and Aleya Zenieris; audio producer: Kaya McMullen; video editor: Drew van Steenbergen; and booker: Kat Spillane
Original Music: Amy Miles
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Transcript 11,584 words · 3 speakers
Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
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0:38 Amy Poehler? Hey, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Good Hang. I am Amy Poehler, and I'm very excited to introduce our guest today. It is Michelle Obama. Wow, we talk about some really cool stuff today. We talk about HGTV and how much we love it. We talk about the time that I drooled in front of her. We talk about bedtime. We talk about allergies, which is what I currently have right now, which is why I'm sounding so sexy and sophisticated. But before we start this episode, we do what we always do, which is we ask someone that knows our guest really well, or is a fan of our guest, or is familiar with our guest's work, to give me a question to ask them. And who better to ask about Michelle than her older brother Craig? So Craig Robinson is joining us,
1:21 Amy Poehler? the co-host of their new podcast, IMO, In My Opinion. So let's welcome Craig Robinson to the studio.
1:39 Amy Poehler? Everyone, I'm very, very excited to have Craig here, who is Mrs. Obama, Michelle Obama's brother. Do you call her Mrs. Obama?
1:49 Speaker 01 See, this is what I mean. You just quickly make me laugh. I only call her Mrs. Obama when I'm mad at her.
1:56 Amy Poehler? Yeah, exactly. Or yes, when there's a formal request.
2:01 Speaker 01 And I don't call her that. I call her, I don't even call her Michelle. I call her Mish.
2:06 Amy Poehler? That's right, I heard that, Mish.
2:07 Speaker 01 So it's been that way for, since she was a kid.
2:13 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
2:13 Speaker 01 Yeah.
2:14 Amy Poehler? And you guys are close in age.
2:16 Speaker 01 We're 20 months apart. And let me, I wanted to back up and say, you know, every time we have somebody on our show, they're trying to figure out what to call her and it's really entertaining to watch people either say Mrs. Obama or the first lady or.
2:30 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
2:31 Speaker 01 And, and she wants them to, she wants them to call her Michelle.
2:35 Amy Poehler? Okay, good, I got, I got that.
2:37 Speaker 01 But if anybody, but if anybody asks me, I always say, call her Mrs. Mrs. Obama.
2:43 Amy Poehler? It's funny though, you know what, what that brings up for me is, in an interesting way is, and kind of what you guys do in your podcast, which I love so much, is there's like, the public version of everyone, everyone has a front-facing version of themselves, and then they have the family version of themselves. And like, doesn't matter how, what changes in your life.
3:05 Speaker 01 Yeah.
3:05 Amy Poehler? You're the family version, pretty much your whole life.
3:08 Speaker 01 Yes.
3:09 Amy Poehler? And you're the oldest.
3:10 Speaker 01 I am the oldest.
3:11 Amy Poehler? Shout out to the oldest, I'm the oldest too.
3:13 Speaker 01 Ooh.
3:14 Amy Poehler? And the oldest, hardest job.
3:15 Speaker 01 It's tough.
3:16 Amy Poehler? No, bless Oblige.
3:17 Speaker 01 I know, I know. My mom had favorites and I was the one.
3:20 Amy Poehler? Okay, so you were your mom, yeah, the brother, the boy is the favorite.
3:23 Speaker 01 I was the one, I was the one. And Mish always jokes about the fact that my mom lived in the White House, she went on all of these wonderful trips, state dinners and all that, and all she wanted to know is, when's Craig coming? It pisses her off. I love it.
3:39 Amy Poehler? So as the eldest child, we know the responsibility we have.
3:43 Speaker 01 Absolutely.
3:43 Amy Poehler? I have a younger brother.
3:45 Speaker 01 Okay.
3:45 Amy Poehler? And he's three years younger. And you, you guys have the same situation I have, which is just like, boy, girl, you know, so you grew up together but apart. Like, you know, you had, you were this, you were together all the time, but you probably had different friends, different interests. Like, you didn't have to share a lot.
4:03 Speaker 01 Well.
4:03 Amy Poehler? Did you?
4:04 Speaker 01 We actually shared a lot.
4:07 Amy Poehler? Oh, okay.
4:08 Speaker 01 Not a, we shared toys, we shared a bedroom.
4:12 Amy Poehler? Okay.
4:12 Speaker 01 We shared a bedroom from the time I can remember until I got to high school and my parents were like, all right, we gotta get this big dude his own bedroom. But we used to have beds that. That the heads were head to head and it was a little table in between. And then when we got a little older, my grandfather built in the same room, a paneled tea, so we had separate bedrooms.
4:38 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
4:39 Speaker 01 But it didn't go all the way to the ceiling, so we could hear each other. And then we had a playroom in the front for the two of us. And we would spend hours at night just talking and laughing.
4:49 Amy Poehler? Is it tough being so tall?
4:53 Amy Poehler? Because I feel like you have to be nicer than maybe you want to be sometimes.
4:57 Speaker 01 Sometimes, sometimes you do, but it is great being tall, except in a couple of situations like airplanes and buying clothes off the rack.
5:05 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
5:06 Speaker 01 It's really hard.
5:07 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
5:09 Speaker 01 But for the most part, it is.
5:11 Amy Poehler? It's so good.
5:12 Speaker 01 It's so good. And you know, you know what people do to you when you're tall? They assume you are in charge and are smart.
5:20 Amy Poehler? Yeah, they're like, come on, they're like, finally, a real leader is here.
5:25 Speaker 01 Yes, yes.
5:26 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
5:26 Speaker 01 Unfortunately, we can make mistakes in, in society. You know what I'm talking about?
5:33 Amy Poehler? What do you mean?
5:35 Speaker 01 But.
5:36 Amy Poehler? I don't know, I trust every tall person in government.
5:40 Speaker 01 But it, no, it's really fun. But I do, you know, every now and then I'd like a cute pair of shoes instead of a size 15.
5:48 Amy Poehler? Yeah. What, 15?
5:50 Speaker 01 15, 15, it's embarrassing, but I'm used to it, I'm used to it. But if you notice.
5:55 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
5:56 Speaker 01 When we sit together, you are taller than I am because my torso is very short. It's all legs. It's all legs, that's why the plane isn't.
6:06 Amy Poehler? Yeah, it's a nightmare.
6:07 Speaker 01 And, and you know, some guy, I mean, if I could afford like one of those fancy sports cars, I wouldn't be able to fit in it.
6:13 Amy Poehler? You should have like a business card that says, I'm all legs, baby.
6:20 Amy Poehler? People would be like, ooh, wow.
6:22 Speaker 01 I've never heard that and it's the funniest thing I've heard. That's great.
6:26 Amy Poehler? What's he like? What if he's all legs? You know, so you know those kind of people.
6:29 Speaker 01 I'm all legs, baby.
6:31 Amy Poehler? I've got, what I would give to be all legs. If I was all legs, it would just be legs up to my neck and then a head and that's it.
6:40 Amy Poehler? Okay, so we have this, we're doing, we do this thing here where we kind of talk to somebody before we talk to our guest about any questions that you think I would be, you know, the right person to ask today. Anything big or small that you think I should ask your sister.
6:58 Speaker 01 Yeah, so I, I was thinking about this because I've watched your show and I was absolutely thrilled to, to be here. So I was thinking about what would be a good question for you to ask her. Because see, my sister is, when she gets asked a question, you ask her, what's the one thing? She gives you six things. I was like, we didn't ask for six things. Give us one thing. So maybe if you do it, she might obey.
7:26 Amy Poehler? Okay.
7:27 Speaker 01 I would say, ask her, what is the one thing that she would share with the rest of the world
7:37 Speaker 01 that our parents gave her? So, let me rephrase it. What is the one thing that our parents gave you, Michelle? That you would like to share with the rest of the world? One thing.
7:52 Amy Poehler? And if she starts to do two things, I go eh.
7:55 Speaker 01 You can say, see, your brother was right.
7:58 Amy Poehler? He said you were gonna give.
7:59 Speaker 01 He said you were gonna give.
7:59 Amy Poehler? Okay, that's good.
8:01 Speaker 01 Fifteen things. You can, you make up whatever number feels good at the time. I can't wait.
8:06 Amy Poehler? Did you ever coach Michelle on any team?
8:09 Speaker 01 No, ma'am. Are you kidding? She can't be coached. She's uncoachable. She's not coachable. No, I'm just kidding. I, you, only time I coached her is when we were playing together.
8:19 Amy Poehler? Yeah, does she, you know, sometimes, as the oldest, sometimes I have a younger brother.
8:24 Speaker 01 So, no.
8:26 Amy Poehler? He doesn't always want to hear my ideas.
8:29 Speaker 01 Isn't it, isn't that something?
8:30 Amy Poehler? And I have good ideas.
8:31 Speaker 01 You, not only do you have good ideas, but he probably thinks he has good ideas.
8:36 Amy Poehler? Of course.
8:36 Speaker 01 But he wants you to listen to his ideas.
8:38 Amy Poehler? And he'll listen to my idea if it comes out of someone else's mouth.
8:42 Speaker 01 Sounds like we have the same sibling.
8:44 Amy Poehler? But if it's, if it's not said by me, he'll, he'll, but sometimes he doesn't want me to like, tell him anything.
8:51 Speaker 01 Oh, listen, it was, it was perfect yesterday. I was glad we were, we were on set.
8:56 Amy Poehler? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
8:57 Speaker 01 And there were four people left around and we were talking about something and I said something to my sister and as soon as I said it, she gave me a look and then, uh, three minutes later, she said the exact same thing. Fortunately, our four camera people over there were cracking up because we had, I was like, I just said that.
9:16 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
9:16 Speaker 01 What is going on?
9:17 Amy Poehler? But she said it again, yeah.
9:19 Speaker 01 It's a little, that little sister thing.
9:20 Amy Poehler? It is true.
9:21 Speaker 01 But she will tell you that it was hard growing up.
9:24 Amy Poehler? Mm-hmm.
9:24 Speaker 01 Being a little sister because she used to be Craig Robinson's little sister and now I'm Michelle Obama's big brother and it is way easier being Michelle Obama's big brother.
9:32 Amy Poehler? Hmm.
9:34 Speaker 01 Way easier.
9:34 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
9:35 Speaker 01 Yeah, yeah.
9:36 Amy Poehler? It's nice to have a big brother. I always wanted an older sibling, didn't you?
9:39 Speaker 01 I am here.
9:40 Amy Poehler? Didn't you, don't you wish you had an older sibling to take care of you, Craig?
9:44 Speaker 01 All Legs, baby.
9:46 Amy Poehler? All Legs, Craig.
9:47 Speaker 01 All Legs, baby, is here to be your older sibling if you need one.
9:50 Amy Poehler? Oh, my God.
9:51 Speaker 01 I am here. I am here for it. You can always reach out.
9:55 Amy Poehler? And also, don't you wish, and the last thing I'll, I'll finish up with is you're, you're a two kid family. I am two. Don't you wish there was one more sibling so you could talk about the other sibling too?
10:07 Amy Poehler? Just one more. Just occasionally you could call and go.
10:11 Speaker 01 That's funny. I'd never thought about that, but that is a great idea.
10:15 Amy Poehler? I'm sure my younger brother wants that. Just one more person.
10:19 Speaker 01 Well, Meech always wanted, she wanted like the Brady Bunch family.
10:24 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
10:24 Speaker 01 I was happy with the way our setup was.
10:26 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
10:27 Speaker 01 But that was because I was the oldest and the favorite, so.
10:29 Amy Poehler? Yeah, we're the best. We don't, we're not worried about the siblings.
10:31 Speaker 01 But that's a great, that is a great take. I hadn't thought about that.
10:35 Amy Poehler? Just one more.
10:36 Speaker 01 But then what about, what happens when it's two on one?
10:39 Amy Poehler? And you can get a dud. The third one can be a dud.
10:43 Amy Poehler? We know that, you know, you're playing with fire. Like you guys did really well.
10:47 Speaker 01 We were, yes, yeah.
10:49 Amy Poehler? Two successful and interesting, smart, curious people. The third one could have been.
10:53 Amy Poehler? You never know, but we'll see. We'll ask. We'll see. Um, okay. I am so appreciate you coming here. Thank you so much and congrats on your podcast.
11:00 Speaker 01 Thank you.
11:01 Amy Poehler? In my opinion, which we're going to talk about today. And, um, I think we got everything we need, right? Are we going to do our, our switcheroo?
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11:53 Amy Poehler? Product availability varies by region. See app for details. Okay, I wanna start with allergies because...
12:02 Speaker 02 And I feel, some people, she's emotional. It's like, no, I have allergies.
12:05 Amy Poehler? I wanna start with allergies too, because I have allergies too.
12:09 Speaker 02 Yeah.
12:09 Amy Poehler? Bad out here in Los Angeles.
12:10 Speaker 02 Yeah, yeah. I got off the plane and...
12:13 Amy Poehler? Did you take anything for it?
12:14 Speaker 02 I take allergy medicine every day.
12:17 Amy Poehler? Does it trip you out? Like, does it make you feel...
12:18 Speaker 02 No, it doesn't. But I find that when I get off of it, um, you know, you have to build back up, so I just stay on it. We travel so much.
12:27 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
12:27 Speaker 02 We're everywhere all the time, so you never know. It springs somewhere, something's blooming.
12:32 Amy Poehler? Have you ever done a neti pot?
12:34 Speaker 02 I have done that, but I don't do it... I've done it, but it doesn't make a huge difference.
12:41 Amy Poehler? Doesn't work.
12:41 Speaker 02 I mean, I like Nasenex.
12:43 Amy Poehler? Yeah, I love...
12:44 Speaker 02 I like the nose spray.
12:45 Amy Poehler? I love the nose spray.
12:46 Speaker 02 If I do that every day, I don't know if there's a limit to how much you're supposed to do it, but I keep it going.
12:51 Amy Poehler? I'm sure it's on the bottle somewhere, but why would you do that?
12:55 Speaker 02 I should look at that bottle. I haven't looked at that bottle in years.
12:59 Amy Poehler? It's funny that we're talking about allergies, because I lost my voice a couple of days ago, and I had a real, it was like a living stress dream that I would not have my voice for this podcast. And now you and I are both doing podcasts.
13:10 Speaker 02 That's crazy.
13:11 Amy Poehler? First of all, thank you for being here.
13:13 Speaker 02 Thank you for having me.
13:14 Amy Poehler? Michelle Obama, and also, you look incredible.
13:18 Speaker 02 Thank you.
13:19 Amy Poehler? I know that that's not as important, but you look incredible.
13:22 Speaker 02 Thank you. It's called peace of mind.
13:24 Amy Poehler? You look hot.
13:25 Speaker 02 Aw.
13:27 Amy Poehler? Sorry.
13:27 Speaker 02 Say, let's say that again.
13:28 Amy Poehler? Okay, okay.
13:29 Speaker 02 What?
13:30 Amy Poehler? I know it's early in the day, but...
13:33 Amy Poehler? But yeah, we're both doing jobs now where we have to talk a lot.
13:37 Speaker 02 Lots of talking.
13:38 Amy Poehler? How's it going?
13:39 Speaker 02 I, you know, as my mom passed last year, but she would say, this is exactly what you should be doing because I talk a lot. We talk in our family.
13:50 Amy Poehler? Yeah, I've noticed that.
13:51 Speaker 02 The Obama family, everybody talks. Malia, Sasha, we all have many opinions.
13:57 Amy Poehler? Yes.
13:58 Speaker 02 And we share them openly. So why not have a podcast where I'm sharing my opinion?
14:02 Amy Poehler? Well, when we saw each other, I mean, I have such, I have many, many memories, of course, of getting to do, luckily, getting to do a bunch of things with you. And one of the most fun things is when you came and did Parks and Recreation.
14:13 Speaker 02 It was so cool. I was just, my assistant, who's young, she's a baby. We were just saying, I was saying in the car ride over, I said, I haven't seen, I don't think we've seen, seen each other since Parks and Rec. And she was like, you were on Parks and Rec?
14:30 Speaker 02 I was like, yeah, I'm kind of a big deal.
14:35 Amy Poehler? I mean, okay, do you have a memory of that day? I'm sure you didn't because you were probably in the middle of your workday, but I have a very strong memory about something.
14:43 Speaker 02 It was a blur because the thing is, is like, I'm not an actress and I'm running lines and trying to figure out cues.
14:49 Amy Poehler? I mean, you can't be a good actress on top of everything else.
14:52 Speaker 02 But I was nervous. I was like, you know, I wanna, I wanna get it right, but I wanna be myself in a natural way. So it was very much a blur. What do you remember about that day?
15:01 Amy Poehler? Okay, well, I do remember the very first take. So yeah, we were busy. We were like hitting a bunch of places that day. You were perfect. You got your line, you hit your mark, you said your line. And my character, Leslie Knope, is supposed to be overwhelmed by seeing you. And I, Amy Poehler, was also very jazzed. And I just went to say my line and I drooled.
15:27 Amy Poehler? Do you not remember? I'm so glad you don't remember. I full on drooled and-
15:33 Speaker 02 Did I say something about? Did I notice the drool?
15:36 Amy Poehler? Total pro, you just were like, you just looked like, okay, maybe this is a choice. And then director yelled, "Cut." Mike Schur, whoever, Morgan Sack, and whoever was directing, yelled, "Cut." And I was like, "Did I just drool?" And they were like, "You did, you did."
15:49 Speaker 02 That happened, that happened. I don't, I didn't, I don't know if I saw it, but-
15:55 Amy Poehler? Yeah, and I was like-
15:56 Speaker 02 Real drool, what, what happened? Why the drool?
15:59 Amy Poehler? I have very active salivary glands.
16:02 Speaker 02 Do you really?
16:03 Amy Poehler? I do.
16:03 Speaker 02 Okay.
16:04 Amy Poehler? Like when I go to the dentist-
16:05 Speaker 02 That's real active.
16:06 Amy Poehler? Not to brag, Michelle.
16:07 Speaker 02 Just talking and drool comes out of your mouth. Now, those are some active glands.
16:11 Amy Poehler? Active glands.
16:13 Speaker 02 Right now, do you have them under control?
16:15 Amy Poehler? They're booming right now.
16:18 Amy Poehler? And so, yeah, when I go to the dentist, they're always like-
16:20 Speaker 02 Whoa, easy.
16:21 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
16:23 Speaker 02 They have the extra large suction tube for you. They've got an Amy tube.
16:28 Amy Poehler? You're joking, but they do.
16:29 Speaker 02 Do they really?
16:30 Amy Poehler? They have to put in two tubes sometimes.
16:33 Speaker 02 This is some teeth, right here.
16:35 Amy Poehler? Totally, breaking news.
16:37 Speaker 02 Amy's a heavy drooler and needs special dental supplies.
16:42 Amy Poehler? Dan, I don't like the dentist, I've talked about this on-
16:44 Speaker 02 Well, none of you have drool issues.
16:47 Amy Poehler? So, I remember doing that to you, just to make you feel better.
16:50 Speaker 02 Well, you did, you did. I figured, well, she's drooling, so-
16:54 Amy Poehler? I can't get any worse.
16:55 Speaker 02 What could I do wrong? As long as I just stand up straight.
16:59 Amy Poehler? Just don't drool, you'll be good.
17:01 Speaker 02 I do not remember the drool.
17:02 Amy Poehler? Oh, my God, wow.
17:03 Speaker 02 But I'm gonna think about that.
17:04 Amy Poehler? Yeah, I know, I want you to always associate that with me now. But, but it was such a fun, that was such a fun time. Because not only was I getting to do the job that I loved, but it was a time when it felt like everybody wanted to stop by and be part of the show that was about public service. And it was a different time where there was this ability or lightness, I think, in many ways, to just put a bunch of different people together in a room, and they don't agree, and they still find a way to work together.
17:40 Speaker 02 Oh, let's stop there. Remember that, mm-hmm.
17:42 Amy Poehler? I don't, that's a long time ago.
17:44 Speaker 02 Yeah.
17:45 Amy Poehler? But I was thinking about that because there is a, there's a-
17:52 Amy Poehler? There's a, you, you just said you're not an actor, but you are constantly speaking and performing. And with the podcast, it's a completely different way of performing. It's almost like unraveling.
18:05 Speaker 02 That's right.
18:06 Amy Poehler? Getting, like, almost unlearning. What are you unlearning about all this stuff that you're trying to kind of like, jettison and let go of, that you, you know, stuff you had to learn or put on, now you're unlearning.
18:18 Speaker 02 That's a good question.
18:21 Speaker 02 You know, not trying to get things so perfect. You know, as first lady, the, the eight years, even beyond, the, the stakes were so high.
18:35 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
18:35 Speaker 02 Right? And, you know, Barack and I, our team, we felt like we didn't have room to get anything wrong. And in this setting, you know, I, I can be loose.
18:49 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
18:50 Speaker 02 I can stutter, I can misspeak sometimes, even though I'm sure that will make news. But I just feel like there's room to breathe. And maybe some of that is my age.
19:02 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
19:02 Speaker 02 Maybe some of that is that now that I'm in my 60s, what more do I have to prove? How, how much more do I have to do? And let's just, let's just live, let's just talk.
19:13 Amy Poehler? I think women should stop improving themselves. I think we did it.
19:18 Speaker 02 You know, and, and.
19:19 Amy Poehler? I think we're like, you know, like when you're in a race and you're really, really far ahead, and you just want to just pause for a second to let people catch up.
19:26 Speaker 02 It's like, yeah.
19:27 Amy Poehler? Enough, enough with the improving.
19:28 Speaker 02 Yeah, that's.
19:29 Amy Poehler? It's too much.
19:30 Speaker 02 You know, and, and fellas, you know, why don't you try it?
19:33 Amy Poehler? Just, we're just, we'll just take a break. We're gonna walk a little slower, catch up, and let's keep running. But it's so real. I mean, all we, I mean, we do this to ourselves all the time, which is just like, I gotta get more efficient, more, more, more, more. And I think sometimes, like, we should try less.
19:50 Speaker 02 Less is more, yeah.
19:51 Amy Poehler? We should try.
19:52 Speaker 02 But we, you know, you don't feel. Your confidence as a woman, at least I didn't until now. Yeah. And I say that out loud because I know that there are young women in their 30s and 40s trying to get that perfection thing right. We always feel like we're not doing enough. We're always harboring guilt. Yeah. And it's not until now that we can look back on this lifetime of accomplishments and say, look, maybe, maybe I did know a thing or two. Maybe I can slow down. Maybe I can take a break. But I think we're harder on ourselves than anyone can be. I agree. And I'm having those conversations with myself every day.
20:37 Speaker 02 It's like, slow down. It's okay. You don't have to get this right. You can make some mistakes, maybe. And, and you've got some wisdom to share, finally, you know? I feel confident in the wisdom that I have to share. That's awesome. I mean, I wouldn't, do you, do you agree? I would, I wouldn't go back in time. I would not. No. You know? 20s and 30s are really hard. Would you trade that stomach? I would trade the stomach and the collagen and a little bit of the ability to stay up late. Right, right. Like, I can't believe how I stayed up so late. You know, I never did, but. You did. I never, I was always sleepy, you know? I, I just want the abs. Are you sleepy? Are you sleepy? Do you love bedtime? I love bedtime.
21:23 Speaker 02 Tell me about your bedtime routine. What time do you like to go to bed and how do you like to go to bed? It's embarrassing and I, you know, I go to bed as soon as I can. Me too. I'm thinking about bed right now. It's 10:30 in the morning. I like, Barack and I, I agree. Yeah, I can't wait. Well, Barack and I, we usually have dinner at around 6:30. Perfect. And he's a night owl. Oh. So if we, if we have guests, I'm good. If I'm with people, I'm up, I'm awake, I can do this stuff. But after we've had our catch-up conversation and we've had our together time and all of that, I'm looking at the clock and he's looking at me, he's like, really? It's 8 o'clock. I was like, I just. Incredible.
22:07 Speaker 02 I'm just so ready, you know? So I'm like, I, I was like, it's not you, it's me.
22:13 Amy Poehler? It's time for bed.
22:15 Speaker 02 And I get so giddy.
22:17 Amy Poehler? Me too.
22:17 Speaker 02 I wash my face. I get into the cool sheets because the room has to be cold.
22:22 Amy Poehler? Yeah, what temp are we talking?
22:23 Speaker 02 Sixty-eight.
22:24 Amy Poehler? Incredible, yes. Can't be higher than that.
22:26 Speaker 02 Sixty-eight degrees, you know, and then he's freezing. And I was like, just put on some socks.
22:30 Amy Poehler? Do you have a, um, do you have a, what kind of, do you like a Tempur-Pedic mattress? Or, and what kind of pillow situation are you doing?
22:38 Speaker 02 I like, um, I'm not sure the brand of the mattress, uh, I should know, but I don't.
22:44 Amy Poehler? We need to know that for your podcast, you need to get yourself a free mattress. If you mention it, you can get a free mattress.
22:51 Speaker 02 I didn't even think of that, right?
22:53 Amy Poehler? Just say it once, your house will be filled with mattresses.
22:56 Speaker 02 Okay, I'm gonna find out.
22:59 Speaker 02 I'm gonna find out, thanks for the tip.
23:00 Amy Poehler? Yeah, you got it. Okay, so you're in bed, cool sheets.
23:03 Speaker 02 Got great sheets, you know.
23:05 Amy Poehler? What do you have on the bedside table?
23:06 Speaker 02 Uh, it's a, it's a lamp, it's, uh, my phone chargers, um, my glasses, my reading glasses, uh, water.
23:18 Amy Poehler? Are we still read, are you a book reader or are you a Kindle?
23:20 Speaker 02 I cannot read because I love sleep so much, I realized if I want to read, I have to be sitting up.
23:25 Amy Poehler? Okay, it doesn't put you to sleep, reading puts me to sleep.
23:27 Speaker 02 Well, like, yes, it does, like, one sentence, I'm like, end the book. So it's, you know, it's, then I don't remember where I am, I don't do the, I don't listen to podcasts because I don't hear it, I'm asleep, I, my head hits the pillow.
23:42 Amy Poehler? Okay.
23:43 Speaker 02 And I'm out.
23:43 Amy Poehler? Any sleep aid, like, any, like, even like a ginger tea, a melatonin?
23:49 Speaker 02 I don't need an aid, I need, I just need to put my head on the pillow.
23:53 Amy Poehler? Do you wear socks to bed?
23:54 Speaker 02 Nope, uh-uh, do not like socks.
23:57 Amy Poehler? And do you like pajamas or?
23:59 Speaker 02 Sometimes.
23:59 Amy Poehler? Nightgown situation?
24:00 Speaker 02 It depends on how hot I am. And we're at that stage, you know, some, sometimes I get in the bed and I'm freezing.
24:07 Amy Poehler? Yes.
24:07 Speaker 02 And other times it's like, oh my god, take my skin off.
24:14 Amy Poehler? The change in temperature is wild. For any woman, anytime, but especially at this age.
24:21 Speaker 02 It's a battle with a partner, right?
24:22 Amy Poehler? Mm-hmm.
24:23 Speaker 02 Because he's always cold. And I'm like, do not touch. And sometimes I wake up hot and I'll wake him up. Did you touch the thermostat? You touched the thermostat, didn't you? He's like, I didn't, I swear to God. He now knows, he's afraid of the thermostat. I said, I don't care what you do, do not touch anything in this room after I go to sleep.
24:43 Amy Poehler? Do you wear an eye shade or earplugs?
24:44 Speaker 02 No, no, no, no, no. Also, I want to know what's going on.
24:47 Amy Poehler? Yeah, are you a light sleeper?
24:48 Speaker 02 Um, no.
24:52 Amy Poehler? Mm-hmm. Do you talk in your sleep or snore?
24:55 Speaker 02 No, let's just say that.
24:56 Amy Poehler? Incredible.
24:57 Speaker 02 I don't know.
24:57 Amy Poehler? You're a really good sleeper.
24:58 Speaker 02 I don't know.
24:59 Amy Poehler? Side sleeper, back sleeper?
25:00 Speaker 02 Side sleeper. And now I'm at the age where I'll wake up and my shoulder's sore.
25:04 Amy Poehler? Don't get me started, I had frozen shoulder a couple of years ago.
25:07 Speaker 02 Oh, you had the frozen shoulder.
25:09 Amy Poehler? And guess what? Nobody knows what causes it and there's nothing you can do about it.
25:13 Speaker 02 You know?
25:14 Amy Poehler? Like every ailment for women in their 50s, they're like...
25:17 Speaker 02 It's just old.
25:17 Amy Poehler? They're like, yeah, I guess it just hurts. And it's like, how long is it gonna hurt? And they're like, I guess forever, maybe?
25:23 Speaker 02 Do you do yoga?
25:24 Amy Poehler? I do yoga.
25:25 Speaker 02 Does that help?
25:25 Amy Poehler? It did unfreeze, it goes through like a period, you know?
25:28 Speaker 02 Mm-hmm.
25:28 Amy Poehler? But are you, um, I'm doing this, can you do pushups?
25:31 Speaker 02 Yeah, I do.
25:33 Amy Poehler? How many pushups do you?
25:34 Speaker 02 Well, now I do, I do them on my knees. I don't, this is another thing. It's like, I don't need to, you know, do regular pushups. I have nothing to prove. But I can do pushups on my knees, I can do a lot of those.
25:47 Amy Poehler? But you can do regular pushups, too.
25:49 Speaker 02 I can, but it's hard. I think my arm length, I don't go all the way down. In fact, you know who pointed that out? Was Ellen. Because my first term, she challenged me to a pushup competition. I'm the first lady, you know? And she heard that I worked out and she was like...
26:08 Amy Poehler? That counts.
26:09 Speaker 02 So I'm on her show, doing pushups. And I did more pushups than her, but she still says I didn't go down all the way.
26:17 Amy Poehler? Well, that's not fair.
26:18 Speaker 02 But anatomically, I don't think I really can. My arms are very long.
26:23 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
26:23 Speaker 02 And she's a much smaller person than me.
26:26 Amy Poehler? I was just talking to Craig about this, that smaller people, I mean...
26:30 Speaker 02 We like them. Some, some of the small people are our best friends. It's so cute.
26:37 Amy Poehler? I don't know. I don't trust. What do you mean?
26:39 Speaker 02 Pocket people. We love them. Just right up under our arms. They just fit right there.
26:45 Amy Poehler? Condescending a little bit.
26:47 Speaker 02 It's just, you know, just right here. Right here, right up under my arm. It's like, look at you down there, little friend. Little friend. So what did you and Craig talk about with height?
27:00 Amy Poehler? Well, basically, like, this idea, it is true. In fact, I heard you talking to Kylie, Kelsey, about it. Two tall women. It was like, it is, and I was talking to Quinta recently about being smaller.
27:12 Speaker 02 She's a, she's a little, and she's...
27:15 Amy Poehler? She's tiny. We're tiny and, yeah.
27:19 Speaker 02 You make noise when you move.
27:21 Amy Poehler? We do not make noise, okay? We don't, we don't live in the woods.
27:24 Speaker 02 I think, I thought I heard squeaking.
27:26 Amy Poehler? Nope, we don't squeak like squirrels, okay? We don't gather nuts. We don't wear funny hats and do dances in the woods. We're regular people.
27:35 Amy Poehler? But, but, um, being a tall woman is different than being a tall man. Well, were your parents tall?
27:41 Speaker 02 They were not.
27:42 Amy Poehler? Really?
27:42 Speaker 02 They were not. My mom was maybe tall for her age, for that age, for that generation. Maybe she was 5'6", 5'5".
27:50 Amy Poehler? Yeah, that's not that tall.
27:51 Speaker 02 My father was 5'9", 5'10".
27:53 Amy Poehler? No way, where's the height coming from?
27:55 Speaker 02 I think it's nutrition. That's what we told them, you know? And, because there's a whole generation of cousins of ours with, a few exceptions. We're all tall. And our parents are kind of average. And then our generation of kids are a little taller.
28:13 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
28:15 Speaker 02 And our parents, you know, who knows what?
28:17 Amy Poehler? Remember how much milk we all drank? Like, everything had milk in it.
28:20 Speaker 02 But my, my mom smoked during her pregnancy. You know, that was when you didn't know about smoking, seat belts, drinking. She did all of that. And we always said, you know what? We could have been somebody. Had you taken care of yourself a little bit better.
28:35 Amy Poehler? Well, what I like about you and what I feel like is your family is like teasing is your love language.
28:39 Speaker 02 Oh, for sure.
28:40 Amy Poehler? Same.
28:41 Speaker 02 For sure.
28:42 Amy Poehler? Can you explain how important it is to be able to tease people that you love?
28:46 Speaker 02 Oh, my God. This is funny because both Barack and Craig will say that I don't let them tease me. See, we have a deal, Barack and I, in our marriage. And it started very early. It's like, I can tease you, but you cannot tease me. You know, 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, right? And I was like, none of that.
29:11 Amy Poehler? Because he likes to tease.
29:13 Speaker 02 Oh, my God, yeah. But when me, Malia, and Sasha are, all of us are together, he doesn't stand a chance. We mercilessly go after him. So, yes, teasing is our love language. And I tell him that. I say, when I tease you, it's like me, you know, it's like a love tap.
29:31 Amy Poehler? It is, but it's kind of true. It's like the more you know someone, the more safe you feel around them, the more you can poke. And manners are for people we don't really know.
29:39 Speaker 02 Yeah, that's right.
29:40 Amy Poehler? And it's just like, like I, for me, in my family, when people are being nice, it's like, what's wrong?
29:45 Speaker 02 Yeah, because what did I do?
29:46 Amy Poehler? What did I do? What do you want?
29:48 Speaker 02 Well, it started with our parents. They're both silly. My mother went through a period of time where she would just scare us.
29:56 Speaker 02 That was just-
29:57 Amy Poehler? With pranks?
29:58 Speaker 02 Just scaring, right?
30:00 Amy Poehler? Just boo?
30:01 Speaker 02 She would just pop out of places. And we're little, you know? I mean, it was just a period. I don't know what she was doing, but it got progressively a little more demented. Craig will tell the story that, you know, he was maybe 10, 12. He's taking a shower. We have one bathroom. My mother goes in while he's taking a shower and lays on the floor like she's dead.
30:31 Speaker 02 She just lays out-
30:33 Amy Poehler? Amazing.
30:33 Speaker 02 And he turns off the shower and opens up and you just hear the
30:40 Speaker 02 and I come in and she's cracking up and he's wet with a towel. He's like weepy. Mom, that's not funny. She's just like, that was pretty funny. And then one night, and we were little when she did this. We had this voodoo mask. It was a Halloween mask. I mean, it was neon, it had hair and teeth. I don't know, it was the middle of the night. We had long gone to bed and she just walked to each of our rooms and she said, with the mask on and said, Michelle? Michelle?
31:13 Amy Poehler? No.
31:14 Speaker 02 And woke me up and I was like, ah! And then she's like, shh, I'm going to your brother's room.
31:23 Speaker 02 I'm like, lady.
31:24 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
31:25 Speaker 02 What are you doing all day?
31:26 Amy Poehler? She's trying to keep it interesting, you know?
31:28 Speaker 02 That was our household. All right, so we, you know, we got it honest.
31:33 Amy Poehler? Marion is coming with the pranks.
31:36 Speaker 02 Marion.
31:37 Amy Poehler? Can I say something about what I've read about your family, which is, and why, if I may, like, you know, I didn't have the pleasure to meet your mom, but she seemed like such a loving mom.
31:49 Speaker 02 Yeah, yeah.
31:50 Amy Poehler? And you're a very loving mom.
31:52 Speaker 02 Yeah.
31:52 Amy Poehler? And I come from a very loving mom, and I talk about it a lot that like-
31:55 Speaker 02 It's a blessing.
31:55 Amy Poehler? It is. Not everybody gets a loving mom.
31:58 Speaker 02 Yeah.
31:59 Amy Poehler? And a loving mom is like this warm place to keep coming back to that-
32:06 Speaker 02 Yeah.
32:06 Amy Poehler? It almost is like if you have a loving mom, you're 90% ahead of the game. And it's tough when you don't, and you have to find your love other places, which you do, and you can be, certainly be a loving mom if you don't have one.
32:17 Speaker 02 Yeah.
32:18 Amy Poehler? But it feels like your mom was so loving.
32:20 Speaker 02 Yeah.
32:21 Amy Poehler? And what did she teach you about being a mom? Like, when, I know you're, she just passed.
32:26 Speaker 02 Yeah.
32:26 Amy Poehler? What?
32:27 Speaker 02 So much.
32:27 Amy Poehler? And she was, she was really with you during a lot of mothering and in the White House.
32:31 Speaker 02 Yeah.
32:32 Amy Poehler? Like, what did you learn from her about being a mom?
32:35 Speaker 02 That's a great question. I love talking about my mom. I love talking about my parents. And I was so glad to have told some of her story in my second book, The Light, before she passed, so that I could give her her flowers when she could see it, you know? But my mom loved kids, and she, I think at the core of her being was this understanding that every kid was special. I mean, she loved us for sure, but she loved all kids that she came in contact with. We didn't have a lot of money, but my parents made the choice that my mom would stay home with us. And she didn't use that time frivolously. I mean,
33:17 Speaker 02 she wasn't just looking after us. She would come up to school and help kids that were struggling, teach kids that, you know, be the room mom before they were, there were room moms, because she just believed in the power and intelligence that little people, as she called them, brought into the world, and she just wanted to feed into that. And we got a lot of that, but that, you know- Why I'm such an advocate for for kids is it comes from my mom. Because she fully believes that we underestimate kids. And that we, you know, we don't come here, uh, that we as adults are the ones that mess them up.
34:01 Speaker 02 That all kids are born into this world really special. And so I felt that, right? And I think that's one of the reasons that that's where confidence began for me. Is sitting at my kitchen table, me and my brother, uh, with a mom who really, really loved our voices. She liked to hear our thoughts. She thought we were funny. We made her laugh. We felt special in her presence. And sadly, we needed that because as kids, black kids, poor black kids, there would be a lot of people who would try to dim the light that she was pouring into us.
34:41 Speaker 02 So we had an abundance of it, which allowed us to steel ourselves for what was to come. Probably prepared me in ways I couldn't have imagined for the those White House years. That time in the spotlight. Because I was still fortified with the light she had given me all my life. So I could handle a lot of the negativity. I could handle the stress and the pressure. So I agree with you. And, you know, I, I think we were blessed.
35:11 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
35:12 Speaker 02 Uh, and to whom much is given and much is expected. So just, I just try to pass it on. And part of IMO is like, it's a way to share a lot of that wisdom that she taught us to pass it on. You know, the girls listen and they're like, man, you know, you're telling everybody things you tell us every day. And I'm like, yeah, now you, you hear it, right? She's like, they're, they're both like, wow, mom, you're kind of making sense. I was like, I've been telling you this for 23, 26 years.
35:45 Amy Poehler? I always say this with my kids. She like, your kids, one day they're like, you know, uh, you know, the guy, you know, like, uh, what did my kid say the other day? That made me laugh. He's like, um, uh, you met Tim Robinson? Yes. They're like, you know him, Mom. I'm like, yeah, I've met him. They're like, and they looked at me like, wow, pretty good.
36:06 Speaker 02 Yeah, yeah. I do that, Amy, too, you know? Every now and then I make a good point to them.
36:13 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
36:13 Speaker 02 And I was like, do you know who I am?
36:16 Speaker 02 I'm Michelle Obama. People, people line up for my advice. And you, you're walking away like I'm stupid. It's like, I, I've written books. I've given speeches.
36:33 Speaker 02 The whole world is listening to me and I can't get you to just do what I told you to do yesterday.
36:38 Amy Poehler? No.
36:38 Speaker 02 So, no, it happens to the best of us. They keep us humble.
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39:30 Speaker 02 I'm gonna take a lip balm break for a second. Oh, lip balm break, and I'm gonna take a tissue break. Oh, yeah. It's very important. Do you need something for the saliva?
39:43 Speaker 02 I'm just gonna spit into a cup. You're right.
39:48 Speaker 02 It's a spittoon. You know? Haven't seen one of those in a while.
39:53 Amy Poehler? The fake food we have here.
39:56 Speaker 02 You know what?
39:57 Amy Poehler? Do you enjoy fake food?
39:58 Speaker 02 It's amazing how I did see that and I just turned around.
40:01 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
40:02 Speaker 02 You know, but yeah, I noticed that.
40:03 Amy Poehler? It takes a minute. I mean, this, I just want to, because it's a special day.
40:06 Speaker 02 What's the decision here? Why the food?
40:08 Amy Poehler? Because it's a special day, I brought two new fake foods and thanks for asking.
40:12 Speaker 02 Those are new?
40:13 Amy Poehler? Uh, this is a, uh, a roll that opens up and you can put coins inside.
40:18 Speaker 02 Oh, wow. Oh, we gotta, we should buy, alright, my team, we should find food and send it to Amy. Oh, this is a candle.
40:26 Amy Poehler? That's a kissy.
40:27 Speaker 02 It's food that's a thing. It's a thing that is shaped like food.
40:31 Amy Poehler? And Michelle, we're definitely not gonna cut this out. This is important. Um, the reason why I pick these things, they're all, it's very willy-nilly, but it's about texture.
40:39 Speaker 02 Mm.
40:40 Amy Poehler? It's about, uh, hand feel. And now that one is a candle.
40:46 Speaker 02 Yeah.
40:46 Amy Poehler? But squeeze this, I brought this for you.
40:48 Speaker 02 You are a strange creature. Yep, yep. Oh, yeah, no, it's a thing. It's a squishy thing.
40:54 Amy Poehler? It's a squishy, but it's a cheeseburger.
40:57 Speaker 02 Now, you come across these things in life and you're like, "Ah, I gotta have this hamburger thing."
41:03 Amy Poehler? I have a, I have a guy who sources, no, I'm just kidding. I have a gentleman who goes across the world and he sources these for me.
41:09 Speaker 02 Your travels.
41:09 Amy Poehler? Yes.
41:10 Speaker 02 Right. Now, you're not collecting like artifacts or you're, you're looking for food that are things, like what is this?
41:16 Amy Poehler? What is this? Oh, it's a tiny whipped cream.
41:19 Speaker 02 It is, but what, does it do something?
41:21 Amy Poehler? Uh, no.
41:22 Speaker 02 Oh, okay, I'm sorry.
41:23 Amy Poehler? I guess it gives joy, it brings joy.
41:24 Speaker 02 Okay. I didn't know if they all had secondary uses.
41:27 Amy Poehler? Well, one of them, here, I'll show you this.
41:29 Speaker 02 And this is a crocheted donut?
41:31 Amy Poehler? In fact, I think Cheez-It, the company Cheez-It sent, maybe they'll send me more.
41:35 Speaker 02 I bet they will.
41:36 Amy Poehler? This is like your, this is like your mattress. You know what you should do is you and Craig should just have a mattress behind you the whole time.
41:44 Speaker 02 That would be okay, you hear that?
41:46 Amy Poehler? And be like, I guess, and then, but Cheez-It sent me free Cheez-Its, because I talked about this, but this is a box of Cheez-Its and there's a Cheez-It inside.
41:54 Speaker 02 It's a little fake Cheez-It.
41:55 Amy Poehler? It's a fake Cheez-It.
41:56 Speaker 02 Wow. Strange.
41:58 Amy Poehler? It is strange.
41:59 Speaker 02 Very strange.
42:00 Amy Poehler? It's a little strange.
42:01 Speaker 02 Very strange.
42:01 Amy Poehler? I'll take that.
42:02 Speaker 02 Well, I'm glad you pointed that out because when I went for the tissue, I was like, it's food. Wow. And then I just let it go.
42:10 Amy Poehler? Yeah, it's okay. I'll make sure you see it. So Craig, Craig, we asked Craig what to ask you. And it's kind of in, in, in, um, in the area of what we're talking about, which is he said, what is the one thing that our parents, you know, gave us? Like, what is the one thing that you think about when you think about what our parents, you know, passed on to us that you?
42:34 Speaker 02 Oh, I, I think, um, always show up in the world in a, in a way that would make them proud. You know, um, be the, the, the person in the world that they were to you. Right?
42:49 Amy Poehler? That's two things.
42:50 Speaker 02 Oh, okay. I thought that was just a, a variation on a theme.
42:55 Amy Poehler? He said you would give more than one thing.
42:57 Speaker 02 Oh, he, did he say that?
42:58 Amy Poehler? Yes.
42:59 Speaker 02 That's because he was mad because we did something yesterday and he only gave one answer. And I gave two and he felt gypped.
43:06 Amy Poehler? See, I mean, I-
43:07 Speaker 02 But he's right. I mean, you know, it, yes, so what? I have many ideas in my head. I told you I like to talk.
43:13 Amy Poehler? Sorry, I'm more than one thing.
43:15 Speaker 02 There is no such thing as a one thing. There's nobody, nobody really means that.
43:19 Amy Poehler? Not only does nobody mean it, but you do, you're really good at this and I believe this. I don't ever think you have to answer the question that was asked.
43:24 Speaker 02 That's, did I answer the question though? I did answer the question.
43:27 Amy Poehler? You did. But I mean, when someone asks me-
43:28 Speaker 02 Because I wasn't trying to not answer the question, but I understand.
43:31 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
43:32 Speaker 02 Well, we learned that in all of the White House. I mean, so many times in interviews.
43:37 Amy Poehler? People ask you something. I always say that to young women. You do not have to answer the question.
43:41 Speaker 02 And just keep talking because, you know, before you know it, time's up.
43:48 Amy Poehler? But like even just in your everyday when someone's like, you know, if someone goes like, you know, do you come, you know, do you come here often? You don't have to answer that.
43:56 Speaker 02 And you go, where's my spittoon?
44:00 Speaker 02 That's always a good distraction for you, Amy.
44:02 Amy Poehler? When you mention your spittoon, if you want to get out of a date.
44:05 Speaker 02 That'll really throw them.
44:06 Amy Poehler? Tell me about it. Tell me about it. What are you, okay, so where your podcast is, is, is a place where you're connecting. It sounds like you're listening to, listening to a bunch of podcasts too and stuff like that. But what is something that you're listening to, watching, reading, going to when you really want to kind of disconnect, check out and just have fun?
44:31 Speaker 02 Yeah, which is most of the time these days.
44:33 Amy Poehler? I know, and I, it's tough to stay in. It's tough to stay in. So what are you doing when you want to zoom out?
44:40 Speaker 02 My version of golf to Barack because he's got golf on all the time. That's like his, he says it's my background noise. So my version of that is HGTV.
44:52 Amy Poehler? I love HGTV, let's talk about it.
44:54 Speaker 02 House Hunters.
44:55 Amy Poehler? Incredible.
44:56 Speaker 02 There's something so soothing about the arc of that.
44:59 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
44:59 Speaker 02 You know?
45:00 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
45:00 Speaker 02 You look for a house. There's, we just like looking at people's houses.
45:04 Amy Poehler? You're at the bottom of House Mountain. You're like, it could be, it could be any house.
45:07 Speaker 02 And, but don't you, do you prefer when the budget is a low budget house or a high budget house? Because sometimes I feel away, you know? Especially House Hunters International.
45:19 Amy Poehler? Okay, I'm obsessed with House Hunters International. First of all, every place looks so, I'm like, wow, you can get that for that money? Like, I'm always blown away by what you can get.
45:27 Speaker 02 I know, I think about that too.
45:29 Amy Poehler? Wow, I should, I'm always like, should I move to Morocco, I guess? Cause like, but usually like, they're never gonna get anything with that budget. And then you see like a nice-
45:37 Speaker 02 They get something with a budget.
45:38 Amy Poehler? Apartment in Italy.
45:39 Speaker 02 And don't you like the way people have such high expectations with a low budget? Like, these aren't marble. It's like, but you want to pay a hundred dollars a month, you know?
45:49 Amy Poehler? I want a hundred dollars a month.
45:51 Speaker 02 Why would you get marble? And then the real estate agent is, especially in the foreign countries are incredulous. It's like, oh, you want a yard for a large dog? You know? I, I love it though.
46:02 Amy Poehler? Do you like when people get what they want? Or do you like when you watch them have to slowly come to the realization that they've overreached?
46:11 Speaker 02 Oh yeah, I love that.
46:12 Amy Poehler? That's what I love.
46:13 Speaker 02 Yeah.
46:13 Amy Poehler? So they go in too low, they want too many things and you're like, it's not gonna be tough, it's not gonna be for you.
46:18 Speaker 02 You know, you're gonna be living above that bar.
46:24 Amy Poehler? And then do you like any HGTV makeover stuff?
46:28 Speaker 02 Oh, I love all the makeover stuff.
46:29 Amy Poehler? Me too.
46:30 Speaker 02 I love, um, uh, Rock the Block.
46:33 Amy Poehler? What's that? I don't know that one.
46:34 Speaker 02 Oh, you don't know?
46:35 Amy Poehler? No.
46:35 Speaker 02 Well, this is when they get all the designers from all the other shows and they come on to one block of newly built houses from scratch and they compete for rooms to see each week. Like they'll do the living room and the kitchen, right? So the designers go in, they have a week or whatever to redo that area and then they're judged by other designers. And then they win and they collect points until they finish the whole house.
47:04 Speaker 02 It's, it's an amazing concept.
47:06 Amy Poehler? That seems like the highest budget in the world.
47:08 Speaker 02 That's what I'm thinking. It's like, I think that the whole time, it's like, how do you do that?
47:12 Amy Poehler? Over there, Rock the Block, how are you affording all this?
47:15 Speaker 02 I mean, they are literally renovating. They, they, they start with a frame.
47:19 Amy Poehler? Mm-hmm.
47:19 Speaker 02 And they, you know, do the kitchen, bed, master bedroom, the master bathroom, the yard.
47:25 Amy Poehler? Wow.
47:26 Speaker 02 The exterior and the, the exterior facade.
47:29 Amy Poehler? Dang.
47:30 Speaker 02 I, I know we're, I'm really going in.
47:32 Amy Poehler? I love, I love a re, a reno.
47:35 Speaker 02 Yeah.
47:35 Amy Poehler? I love those kind of shows.
47:36 Speaker 02 I loved it.
47:38 Amy Poehler? Why do you think we like it? I know, I like that there's...
47:40 Speaker 02 Why? Why do you like it?
47:41 Amy Poehler? Just a completion. Like it's...
47:43 Speaker 02 Yeah, yeah.
47:44 Amy Poehler? There's an end where something is done.
47:46 Speaker 02 And I like the before and after.
47:48 Amy Poehler? Mm-hmm.
47:48 Speaker 02 I like the wow, that, those, those floors look much better. You're an empty nester?
47:55 Amy Poehler? No, my boys are 14 and 16.
47:57 Speaker 02 Oh.
47:57 Amy Poehler? So we're just at that, the freshman and sophomore.
48:00 Speaker 02 Okay.
48:00 Amy Poehler? Just at that age where we're thinking about college, but they're still teen boys. And I'll tell you something, no one's more tired than a teen boy. They're exhausted.
48:10 Speaker 02 And they're hungry, it seems.
48:11 Amy Poehler? They eat like three dinners a day. I was just saying to someone, having teen boys is like living with bears. Because when you wake up the next morning, there's just crumbs everywhere and your cabinets are open and everything's out and the floor and there's like a ch, ch, a big chunk out of cheese and you're like, what happened? And they woke up in the middle of the night and they ate again.
48:37 Speaker 02 That's a good one. They're like bears.
48:39 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
48:39 Speaker 02 Yeah, that's, that's...
48:40 Amy Poehler? I, I might, I mean, I...
48:41 Speaker 02 That's scary.
48:42 Amy Poehler? It is?
48:42 Speaker 02 Are you scared in your home?
48:46 Amy Poehler? No, they're like nice bears.
48:47 Speaker 02 They're nice bears.
48:48 Amy Poehler? They're nice bears.
48:49 Speaker 02 Well, I had girls and girls are, you know, they're, as I'm learning, I was kind of lucky. They're clean and...
48:57 Amy Poehler? Yeah, girls are, I can, we're coming back around. They're head and shoulders and look.
49:01 Speaker 02 Yeah, they make sentences, they have thoughts and ideas and you can rationalize with them.
49:06 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
49:07 Speaker 02 You know?
49:07 Amy Poehler? I know, it's completely different.
49:09 Speaker 02 I realized I did.
49:11 Amy Poehler? It's true.
49:12 Speaker 02 Food bill was a lot lower. I don't know how you do it. I mean, if you, if you don't know the average weekly intake.
49:19 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
49:20 Speaker 02 You know, because it shifts with boys. I mean, they have a growth spurt and they can drink a gallon of milk in a day. I mean, how do you live like that?
49:27 Amy Poehler? Yeah, I know.
49:28 Speaker 02 I mean, literally.
49:29 Amy Poehler? I have a lot of moms, you know, like, who are, you know, the cost of living is so high, especially here in California, a lot of places. And they're like, my kids are truly eating more than ever as teens. And it's like, what are we going to do about it?
49:45 Speaker 02 Do you cook?
49:46 Amy Poehler? I love to cook. I know you don't cook.
49:48 Speaker 02 I do not.
49:49 Amy Poehler? But you know, I didn't start cooking until my 40s.
49:51 Speaker 02 Hmm.
49:51 Amy Poehler? It's never too late, Michelle.
49:53 Speaker 02 I cooked, I cooked before.
49:54 Amy Poehler? Oh, and then you stopped?
49:55 Speaker 02 Well, I became first lady.
49:57 Amy Poehler? And then you can't cook, they don't let you cook?
49:59 Speaker 02 Well, I didn't, I was busy.
50:01 Amy Poehler? But you can't go down and make an, but you can't go down and make an egg?
50:04 Speaker 02 There's a kitchen, yes. You could, but I'm like, they're chefs and you do that better than me. I mean, I'm not, you know, I don't want to put you out of a job. You can make the eggs.
50:13 Amy Poehler? Right, if you were cooking an egg, they'd be standing next to you and it would be stressful?
50:16 Speaker 02 Exactly, that's right. Unless you told them to leave, they wouldn't be comfortable with that.
50:21 Amy Poehler? Right.
50:22 Speaker 02 You know, I'm sure there are first ladies, first families that cooked in the White House. I'm just sort of like, ah, I'm okay not cooking. I've done it.
50:30 Amy Poehler? And now, are you cooking now?
50:32 Speaker 02 Nope. Nope, it's not on my agenda at all. It's not among the things that I want to do in this stage in, in life now.
50:40 Amy Poehler? And what are you doing now that you couldn't do before that you get to do now?
50:43 Speaker 02 Uh...
50:44 Amy Poehler? Or that you, you had to pause doing, I should say?
50:46 Speaker 02 I want to try to do normal things.
50:49 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
50:50 Speaker 02 You know, going for a walk.
50:53 Amy Poehler? Hmm, by yourself?
50:54 Speaker 02 Uh, never, never-ish, but if they, they're further behind, it's like, I can still see you.
51:03 Speaker 02 I want to be, I want to feel like I'm by myself, a little further.
51:08 Amy Poehler? They're reading a newspaper upside down.
51:10 Speaker 02 That's right.
51:13 Speaker 02 I'm, I'm driving a little bit more.
51:15 Amy Poehler? Excellent.
51:16 Speaker 02 So that, and by myself, in the car by myself.
51:19 Amy Poehler? Excellent.
51:20 Speaker 02 Which is such, like, I realized for the first time I was driving with Malia. We were in Martha's Vineyard and I'm driving. She turns on the radio and starts playing some of our favorite songs and we're singing at the top of our lungs. I realized I'd never had that experience with her. I'd never had that experience with her as, as a, from teenagers on because they learned to drive, but I didn't teach them how to drive. I couldn't drive with them. I mean, just sort of the basic kind of bonding moments. You know, we didn't have time alone in a car, just with me and my daughter, playing the music that we wanted at the volume that we wanted.
52:02 Speaker 02 That's why I like the Vineyard. I like, I like the islands where we live because they're small places and people, you know, they get used to you. They don't care.
52:14 Amy Poehler? Right.
52:14 Speaker 02 At certain times of the year, I can walk into town and just go shopping. I mean, I just go into a store, try on clothes on my own, go to the register. Sometimes I forget how to use my credit card.
52:27 Amy Poehler? Well, now you don't have to. Now you just use Apple Pay, just.
52:30 Speaker 02 What's that? No, I'm just kidding.
52:32 Amy Poehler? You know Apple Pay, right?
52:33 Speaker 02 I do, but I don't use it.
52:35 Amy Poehler? You don't use it?
52:35 Speaker 02 No, because I.
52:36 Amy Poehler? Do you have a regular phone? Do you have a regular phone?
52:38 Speaker 02 I do, but I'm trying to not do stuff on my phone.
52:41 Amy Poehler? Well, that's a little boomer-y, Michelle.
52:43 Speaker 02 I know, but you know, here, I don't want to be tracked. I don't want, I don't want.
52:48 Amy Poehler? Okay, this is a boomer attitude.
52:49 Speaker 02 Is it, tell me more about it so that I don't.
52:51 Amy Poehler? We're done. We're all cooked. We're tracked. It's happening. There's no like way to not be where everyone knows everything.
52:58 Speaker 02 So what does this mean?
52:59 Amy Poehler? So you can, I mean, and this is, you know, I'm not that far behind you. So this is the blind leading the blind.
53:05 Speaker 02 Yeah.
53:05 Amy Poehler? But you don't even need a credit card anymore. You just go beep beep beep.
53:08 Speaker 02 I don't know.
53:08 Amy Poehler? And it's like you're not even spending money, just like. Beep, it just goes beep.
53:12 Speaker 02 See, but that's a problem for me.
53:14 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
53:14 Speaker 02 You know, I wanna know, I don't wanna, I don't want it to be like beep.
53:17 Amy Poehler? It's just like shh.
53:18 Speaker 02 You know, and then what if they get your phone information and somebody else can take your information and go beep? You know, and all you, before you know it, you own a, you own a house.
53:28 Amy Poehler? Identity stolen fifteen times in their lifetime.
53:30 Speaker 02 Yeah, that, you know, that's the boomer part of me.
53:33 Amy Poehler? That doesn't matter anymore.
53:34 Speaker 02 And nobody worries about that? Nobody worries about that.
53:37 Amy Poehler? Very worried, yeah, it's a disaster, like, we're in real trouble. Yeah, we're really in big trouble.
53:43 Speaker 02 I'm trying to hold on, you know, when all things fall apart and the system just crashes.
53:48 Amy Poehler? I know.
53:48 Speaker 02 I'm still gonna have cash.
53:50 Amy Poehler? I do love cash.
53:51 Speaker 02 Do you?
53:52 Amy Poehler? I love cash.
53:52 Speaker 02 I have, I have old cash. I have cash that's been in my wallet untouched probably for a decade.
53:59 Amy Poehler? My kids made fun of me.
54:00 Speaker 02 But I'm like, don't take it out.
54:01 Amy Poehler? My dad always taught me that, he's always like, always have cash on you.
54:05 Speaker 02 Yeah, yeah, I got some, maybe I shouldn't have said that to the world.
54:08 Amy Poehler? We'll cut it out, we'll cut it out.
54:09 Speaker 02 I don't have cash.
54:09 Amy Poehler? No, Michelle does not have cash.
54:10 Speaker 02 I don't carry cash, but, but I guess I'm good because I also have this security guy with gun, you know? And I still think like that, it's like, where's my wallet? Did, where are my keys?
54:21 Amy Poehler? Your wallet is in your phone.
54:22 Speaker 02 And they're like, I don't need it.
54:23 Amy Poehler? I know. Okay, so, but continuing with what we're talking about, you know, I think it doesn't matter what kind of life you live, I think any person can have the feeling like their life is kind of a dream. Like our lives are a dream, things happen to us, we don't imagine could have happened to us, good and bad. And sometimes we just feel like, how did I get here? Where am I going, all that stuff. What do your friendships, specifically your female friendships, friendships do to keep you from like, keep your feet on the ground, basically? Because your life has been a dream.
55:02 Speaker 02 Oh, it's been crazy, yeah. Um, what, what have they done, it's what haven't they done? I mean, just... You know, they're the, they're, I love to go to my friends' homes just to be normal, to help with the dishes, to sit down in the yard, to, you know, to talk about something else other than whatever is in the news. My friends are the people who know everything about me. And they, they, they only know me as Michelle.
55:38 Speaker 02 So it's, it's everything. And my family, my brother, doing this podcast with him, the first time we've worked together on something. I mean, just, you know, seeing his face and having him on the other side of the table, somebody who can humanize me to others and to myself. In this sort of position we've been in, that, that is more powerful and meaningful probably for me than for a lot of people. So it's, it's, it's, it's the air I breathe, my friendships. That's why I try to really be mindful about maintaining them and pouring into them
56:23 Speaker 02 and making sure there's reciprocity, reciprocity that they, you know, and that they feel seen by me in all of this, right?
56:32 Amy Poehler? Yeah, I, I think what you're doing, I, I just speak for myself that, you know, the word authenticity is kind of thrown around a lot. But I do think, especially young people, they're really looking for some version of yourself and myself and theirselves that like feels real. The world is so crazy. We are in this simulation that just a lot of people want to get out of. And I think that is what's cool about young people is they keep reminding us like, be real, like we want you, we want realness. Because everything feels so strange.
57:11 Speaker 02 Yeah, we want the, the blemishes and the bumps and, you know, and, you know.
57:18 Speaker 02 They want that, but the message that we deliver to them is that you don't, you can't get that solely on your phone.
57:26 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
57:27 Speaker 02 And that's, I think that's the piece that we can teach them.
57:30 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
57:31 Speaker 02 It's like, yeah, push us to be real, but you know, I want to push young people to have real experiences.
57:39 Amy Poehler? Yeah.
57:39 Speaker 02 You know, with real people, face to face. Because that authenticity that they see in us comes from that old way of living, you know? Where you, you know, you meet a person in a bar and have a conversation. Then you talk to people in the grocery store line, that you are looking up from your phone and seeing the world. That you're learning about people, not through their, you know, TikTok page, but from a conversation.
58:10 Amy Poehler? And you've lost me.
58:12 Speaker 02 What, tell me, where, what, what was the thing? Is the TikTok page, you like the TikTok page information?
58:18 Amy Poehler? I love the TikTok page.
58:19 Speaker 02 Okay, so it's both and.
58:20 Amy Poehler? Both and.
58:21 Speaker 02 Have the TikTok page, because you do get some real dirt, you get a perspective, or what do you get from the TikTok page?
58:28 Amy Poehler? Do we have an hour? I don't know. Community, jokes, laughs. No, but I hear what you're saying, yeah, you gotta balance with real, you gotta balance with real people, real things.
58:38 Speaker 02 It feels like we're shifting to less of that.
58:42 Amy Poehler? Yeah, and I also think laughter. I think like, you gotta laugh.
58:47 Speaker 02 Absolutely.
58:48 Amy Poehler? You gotta laugh, and you gotta laugh with your friends, you have, like, have to laugh.
58:51 Speaker 02 And laugh at yourself.
58:52 Amy Poehler? And what makes you laugh?
58:54 Speaker 02 I'm not fangirling, but you know, a lot of, re-watching a lot of Parks and Rec, you know? I mean, that's the kind of humor that I like. Community, modern family, old Seinfelds, you know? I mean, that tends to be, I still find myself laughing out loud with episodes that I've seen over and over again. Just clever, clever dialogue, smart plots, you know? Just out of the, you know, good characters, that's what I love.
59:26 Amy Poehler? And you probably watched me and you're like, good job keeping that drool inside your mouth.
59:30 Speaker 02 Well, now that I know it's an issue, I'll watch you a little differently. Yeah, it's like, whoa, look at her keeping her, keeping her saliva inside. Good, good, way to go, that's my girl.
59:44 Amy Poehler? That's my training. It's my training. It's where my training comes in.
59:49 Amy Poehler? Well, thank you so much for doing this.
59:51 Speaker 02 Oh, my gosh. This was so much fun.
59:53 Amy Poehler? Yeah, it's been the best.
59:54 Speaker 02 Yeah, thank you.
59:55 Amy Poehler? Really, really great. Congrats on your podcast.
59:57 Speaker 02 You as well and on all your food choices.
1:00:00 Amy Poehler? Thank you so much. These are all my food choices.
1:00:03 Speaker 02 We're gonna get something like this and a mattress.
1:00:05 Amy Poehler? You are gonna get a mattress. You're gonna get all the mattresses you want.
1:00:11 Amy Poehler? Wow, that was an amazing episode. So exciting to have her here. And, you know, we talked about so many good things, but we talked a lot about sibling relationships. And that is what her podcast, you know, a lot of it is about. And I have a younger brother, Greg. I should have asked Craig if he is ever called Greg, because I know my brother Greg is often called Craig. But I guess I just wanted to take this polar plunge moment to speak directly to my brother Greg and say, "Don't go in my room and don't touch my stuff. It's my stuff. Get out of my room. Mom and dad said I'm in charge and I'm so sick of it. You have to go to bed."
1:00:56 Amy Poehler? I love you, Greg. You're the best sibling ever. I don't want another sibling to talk about you with. I was just saying that to Michelle to be a good host. But, um, but seriously, it's so great to be your big sister. And, um, you know, as the eldest daughter, we know our work is never done. And so we'll just forge ahead. And I love you, baby bro. I got your back. Sorry, this has gone off the rails. Okay, thank you for listening. Thank you for listening to this episode. Sorry about my voice. And we'll be back soon. Bye.
1:01:40 Amy Poehler? You've been listening to Good Hang. The executive producers for this show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weiss-Berman, and me, Amy Poehler. The show is produced by The Ringer and Paperkite. For The Ringer, production by Jack Wilson, Kat Spillane, Kaia McMullin, and Aleia Zaneras. For Paperkite, production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell, and Jenna Weiss-Berman. Original music by Amy Miles.
1:02:06 Amy Poehler? This episode is brought to you by Sephora. Holiday gifting can be a tough gig. You're frantically searching, second guessing everything, and accidentally buying your dad eye cream he's never gonna use. Thankfully, Sephora is here to save us from ourselves. Whether you're shopping for a total beauty guru or someone whose whole routine is hand soap, Sephora has the perfect gift for everyone on your list. And if you're still lost, don't panic. Their beauty advisors can guide you to safety. This holiday season, we all Sephora. Shop gifts at Sephora and give something beautiful. This episode is brought to you by Caesar. Dog parents, what do you have on the menu tonight? If you're looking to serve your favorite four-legged friend high-quality wet dog food they'll be genuinely excited about,
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