Your Questions Answered with Michelle and Craig

On this episode of IMO, we’re doing things a little differently! No guest, just your questions. Topics include: what Michelle and Craig learned about each other by doing the podcast together, their thoughts on open relationships, and the last time they cried. Have a question you want answered? Write to us at imopod.com http://imopod.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Michelle Obama?

  It's hard for me to remember specific scenes. But of course, Teresa Giudice's table flip, you know. Prostitution whore, you know.

• 0:14Michelle Obama?

  Prostitution whore!

• 0:22Michelle Obama?

  This episode is brought to you by Theraplu.

• 0:28Craig Robinson?

  Hey, how you doing?

• 0:29Michelle Obama?

  I'm good. How are you?

• 0:30Craig Robinson?

  I'm really good. I'm really good. I'm excited about this. This is gonna be fun.

• 0:34Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, this is, uh, this is something new that might become something permanent.

• 0:38Craig Robinson?

  Yeah.

• 0:39Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, in the rotation, in the IMO rotation.

• 0:41Craig Robinson?

  I know.

• 0:42Michelle Obama?

  Tell our listeners what we're about to do.

• 0:44Craig Robinson?

  So folks, as we always welcome you to IMO, we're gonna do something a little different this time because we, we get a lot of questions and we really appreciate all the questions that we get from you folks. But some of them aren't necessarily made for a whole show. So we took a bunch of those and put them together and I have them here. And I thought it'd be a good idea for you and I to try and go through some of these, which are, there's a whole gamut of these, so.

• 1:12Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, yeah. Well, this is more of the Michelle and Craig portion of IMO with Michelle and Craig. So it's just us.

• 1:19Craig Robinson?

  No guests.

• 1:20Michelle Obama?

  It's just Michelle and Craig.

• 1:21Craig Robinson?

  So we can do whatever we want.

• 1:24Michelle Obama?

  Okay. Woo, let's go. Let's kick it off.

• 1:28Craig Robinson?

  First question.

• 1:29Michelle Obama?

  Okay.

• 1:30Craig Robinson?

  What is one thing you've learned about the other from doing the podcast and working together?

• 1:37Michelle Obama?

  Oh, do you wanna go first or you want me to go?

• 1:39Craig Robinson?

  I will go first.

• 1:41Michelle Obama?

  Okay.

• 1:42Craig Robinson?

  What I've learned is that you tried to get your ears pierced and thought I didn't notice. And I see you got all these new piercings in your ear.

• 1:52Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 1:54Craig Robinson?

  And it looks pretty good.

• 1:56Michelle Obama?

  I don't think you noticed.

• 1:58Craig Robinson?

  I did notice. So we have been having a fight this whole session about whether or not I noticed it. And I had noticed it, but we were in the midst of a show. And I noticed it like this. We were sitting like this.

• 2:10Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, but we're together all the time. I mean, you know, it's not like we are just, we walk in, we sit in a show. I mean, I've been, we've sit in the hole. We had lunch together. It was days. It was days of being together.

• 2:23Craig Robinson?

  I saw it. I just went, I said, ooh, I saw that. But we were, when I saw it, we were in the midst of a show. So I didn't think to comment on it until I saw it again. But, or until you mentioned that, yeah, I'm waiting for the men in my life to notice. And I was like, what is she talking about?

• 2:40Michelle Obama?

  Well, anyway, just to let you guys know what happened is that I have always thought about getting some extra piercings in my ear and just never got around to it. I had a second hole that I had got like before I had kids. But then I just got lazy and stopped putting an earring in it. But nowadays, the young people in my life are doing more piercings. There, there's just more beautiful endowment. You see, there's more of a cluster, um, the constellation sort of look of twinkles that goes.

• 3:13Craig Robinson?

  Yeah, it was five.

• 3:14Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, I got, so I was going in for a few and then I did my normal self and was like, ooh, put one there and put one there. Ooh, yeah, now, let's try one there. So I, in one sitting, I got 10 piercings. So.

• 3:28Craig Robinson?

  Ouch.

• 3:29Michelle Obama?

  It actually was not that, that, it wasn't that painful.

• 3:32Craig Robinson?

  Well, that's good. It's really.

• 3:36Michelle Obama?

  Do you like it?

• 3:36Craig Robinson?

  Beautiful. I like it. I like it. It's, it is, it, if I didn't.

• 3:40Michelle Obama?

  I want our listeners to, to let, let us know what they think.

• 3:43Craig Robinson?

  If, if I didn't like it, you know, I would say I didn't like it.

• 3:46Michelle Obama?

  I know. So that's the big thing. Barack finally noticed. Took him a couple of days.

• 3:52Michelle Obama?

  And he was like, you haven't had your hair up. You've had your hair down. And I was like, hmm, I don't know. I like sleep with you every night, dude, you know? Um, but he noticed yesterday.

• 4:03Craig Robinson?

  Okay.

• 4:04Michelle Obama?

  And I, I got them done like four days ago.

• 4:08Craig Robinson?

  So don't tell them that I noticed before him.

• 4:10Michelle Obama?

  I think, I think I did.

• 4:11Craig Robinson?

  You did. Ouch, ouch.

• 4:13Michelle Obama?

  Anyway.

• 4:14Craig Robinson?

  But, but the, the, the, the more serious thing that I learned from doing this show with you is.

• 4:22Craig Robinson?

  That you and I grew up in the exact same house, with the exact same parents, but our memories are, can be vastly different.

• 4:30Michelle Obama?

  That's true.

• 4:31Craig Robinson?

  At times. But, but our experiences have been different too. You know, I was, I was commenting to our producers earlier, how, you know, dad would take me and do stuff that he wouldn't take you and do stuff. So I'm, I'm sure that's no surprise to anybody, but.

• 4:48Michelle Obama?

  And there were conversations that I had with mom that apparently I, I thought she was having with you.

• 4:54Craig Robinson?

  No.

• 4:54Michelle Obama?

  Like how she thought about leaving dad every spring.

• 4:57Craig Robinson?

  Oh, she, and, and, and, you know, given.

• 5:00Michelle Obama?

  She probably, she probably knew your little heart probably couldn't take that.

• 5:03Craig Robinson?

  I would, I would have been worried, I would have been worried about that every year, every spring.

• 5:07Michelle Obama?

  Oh, my God, it's spring.

• 5:09Craig Robinson?

  Oh, shoot.

• 5:11Michelle Obama?

  Well, it has been fun working with you.

• 5:12Craig Robinson?

  Oh, man, this has been a joy.

• 5:14Michelle Obama?

  You are, you know, you're, I didn't, it's not something I didn't know. You're very professional, you're very, very prepared. You were a great partner to have. You take everything you do seriously, but I, I, I kind of knew that about you. But it's fun to, you know, have a, have a partner that shows up in the same way, so.

• 5:32Craig Robinson?

  It is, it is. You, you, everybody knows how diligent you are. So I have to keep the bar high for myself, so.

• 5:39Michelle Obama?

  You're doing a good job.

• 5:40Craig Robinson?

  All right, next question. When is the last time you cried?

• 5:46Michelle Obama?

  Oh, this is easy. I watched Hamnet.

• 5:51Craig Robinson?

  Okay.

• 5:51Michelle Obama?

  Uh, Hamnet, this is my, you never watch movies. Cause you're too busy on social media.

• 5:57Craig Robinson?

  No, I watch movies, but I haven't watched Hamnet.

• 5:59Michelle Obama?

  But Hamnet is a, uh, uh, the, the story of Shakespeare, the, his, um, early life, his family life, his relationship. So it's a period piece, obviously. And you learn about, uh, his son, Hamnet. He had three children, uh, two daughters and one son. And he lost his son.

• 6:28Michelle Obama?

  And it talked about how, it, it, it explained how, um,

• 6:34Michelle Obama?

  That loss, his relationship, helped fuel some of his greatest work. Chloé Zhao is the director, just beautifully directed. And it's just touching and powerful in the ending, which I will not give it away, but it's a 10-minute ending and there are no words. It's the end of, what was it, Hamlet? The first time his wife saw his work after she was kind of upset with him. For, you know, she kind of realized that through this all, I'm alone. And yes, you bought us a beautiful home, but I've been here alone dealing with this.

• 7:15Michelle Obama?

  So she was angry, but she had never taken the time to see what he had given up so much of his family time to do. And it was her watching a scene in Hamlet that, and she could see where it was about their son and the pain that he was working through, through his art.

• 7:38Craig Robinson?

  Hmm.

• 7:39Michelle Obama?

  And it was just beautifully, beautifully done. And I don't like to choke up. And I, you know how you're trying to hold back tears?

• 7:46Craig Robinson?

  Yeah.

• 7:47Michelle Obama?

  I could, I was, it was so emotional, I couldn't. I mean, I literally was sobbing. And I rarely do that in a film, but just, we watched that the other day. Beautiful.

• 7:57Craig Robinson?

  Hamlet, okay. You, I'm a buyer.

• 8:00Michelle Obama?

  Has anybody seen it? Did you all feel the same way I felt about it? I mean, the actor, all of the actors, the children, amazing, amazing. It deserves to be in the running. It's a beautiful, beautiful film.

• 8:14Craig Robinson?

  Oh, neat, neat.

• 8:15Michelle Obama?

  Anyway, that was a long one.

• 8:17Craig Robinson?

  Yeah, that was a long one. That's okay. That's all right. Mine won't be as long.

• 8:20Michelle Obama?

  I should get paid by the Hamlet people.

• 8:24Craig Robinson?

  You got, you, I mean.

• 8:25Michelle Obama?

  I think I did some Oscar work for them.

• 8:27Craig Robinson?

  I'll go watch it. So, as you all know, we have been cranking these shows out. So my preparation is always ongoing and we just had.

• 8:44Craig Robinson?

  Souleka Juad and John Batiste on. And in preparation for them coming on. Not only did I read Souleka's book, which was a tearjerker, but I watched American Symphony for the first time.

• 8:59Michelle Obama?

  A higher ground production.

• 9:01Craig Robinson?

  A higher ground production that I recommended for everyone. But let me tell you, I was bawling almost. It wasn't quite the beginning, but early on. And let me tell you, it's a little different than bawling over great writing or great acting. It was the combination of their story together, which is a love story. And his music. His music touched me in a way that when I met him, I almost started crying.

• 9:37Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 9:38Craig Robinson?

  And he felt that.

• 9:40Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 9:40Craig Robinson?

  But it's, you know, there are some movies, like the, you wouldn't know this, but the opening of Gladiator.

• 9:47Michelle Obama?

  Mm hmm. Yeah, I've not a big Gladiator.

• 9:49Craig Robinson?

  It's a guy's movie and the music adds to it.

• 9:54Michelle Obama?

  I wasn't expecting that.

• 9:56Craig Robinson?

  The music adds to it. And this was the same effect in a emotional way for me. So that was the last time.

• 10:06Michelle Obama?

  Stay tuned for the episode with Souleka and John. It's a beautiful episode.

• 10:13Craig Robinson?

  Okay, next one. This is gonna take a severe C turn here.

• 10:17Michelle Obama?

  Okay, I love a turn.

• 10:19Craig Robinson?

  My partner has expressed a desire to open up our relationship. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this, but I can tell he isn't very happy or satisfied with the way things are going. What should I do?

• 10:32Michelle Obama?

  Get out.

• 10:38Michelle Obama?

  Run. Um, look, I just, I wouldn't do it. Not something, I don't, I don't, um, I, I know that there is a polygamy culture. What are they, what are, is that, are they calling, polyamorous, that's what it's called.

• 10:59Michelle Obama?

  Not my cup of tea.

• 11:00Craig Robinson?

  Yeah, we old, we old.

• 11:02Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, not, not, again, say, not my cup of tea.

• 11:05Craig Robinson?

  Well, and, and, and I'm, I'm gonna say, if you weren't into it before and want it now, that is a real no-go for me. Now, if you were, if you met that way, or you were, you have been polyamorous prior, and you're thinking, okay, this might work for us, then we can have another conversation. But if you guys went into this and like, it's a, it's supposed to be a monogamous relationship, your typical.

• 11:34Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 11:36Craig Robinson?

  You know, partnership, and now one person wants to change up the, the details on.

• 11:43Michelle Obama?

  Sounds a little fishy.

• 11:44Craig Robinson?

  It does sound fishy, so.

• 11:46Michelle Obama?

  Sounds a little fishy.

• 11:48Michelle Obama?

  Look, and for the, the questioner, um, if it's, don't talk yourself into something like that, that you are not into. There is a reason you're not into it, and that's not the kind of compromise in a marriage that you get used to and adjust to. If you're unsure about it, um, it's probably because it's not something that you want. And if your partner is unhappy, explore that first. Like, if you, don't, don't do that to keep your partner.

• 12:18Craig Robinson?

  Right.

• 12:19Michelle Obama?

  Don't, don't make that kind of accommodation in your relationship because you think it's broken. You know, deal with what, if it's broken, figure it out, and it's not because there aren't enough people in the relationship.

• 12:33Craig Robinson?

  Right.

• 12:33Michelle Obama?

  I can't think that that's ever, you know, the, the, the root, root of the problem is that we need more emotions thrown into the mix.

• 12:44Craig Robinson?

  I never talked to dad about anything like this, but I could imagine him saying, "Don't make a communication problem into an intimacy problem."

• 12:54Michelle Obama?

  Do you think he... Well, that's deep.

• 12:56Craig Robinson?

  I think he would say something like that.

• 12:58Michelle Obama?

  Like, "Dag, dad, way to go."

• 13:00Craig Robinson?

  I think he would.

• 13:01Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, so we're not into it, and we don't recommend that you get into it, especially because you're not into it.

• 13:10Craig Robinson?

  Right.

• 13:18Craig Robinson?

  We played a summer tournament about two hours away. And as I think back, I wish we had considered staying in an Airbnb home instead of staying at a hotel. We would have had an opportunity to eat together, watch film together, as well as control the curfew of a bunch of 13-year-old boys. I also think that it would have given our parents a break from their children. As you can imagine, coming together as a team outside of the game is as important as what you do on the court. And having the ability to hang out together at an Airbnb would have given us that extra opportunity to bond. And if you're thinking about the big tournaments

• 14:02Craig Robinson?

  that come into your town, now is a great time to think about hosting fellow fans and players during the season. February is the month we all start romanticizing a little, our routines, our goals, even those ideas we can't stop thinking about. And if you've got one of those ideas, Shopify is the best place to bring it to life bigger. Shopify makes the first step simple. Whether it's a side hustle or a full storefront, Shopify takes the guesswork out of starting something new. Everything's in one place, easy to manage, even if it's just you. Their themes, their tools, even their AI Shopify Sidekick. It all helps you save time and stay focused on what matters.

• 14:47Craig Robinson?

  So think about it. What's that idea you keep coming back to? And what would it look like to finally build it? So if you're ready to build your own empire, whether it's merch... Products or the next best idea? Get on Shopify.com/IMO and make it happen today. My kitchen has never quite felt completely put together, like it's always felt like something is missing. And then Kelly and I found these striped linen cafe curtains on Wayfair, and the effect has been perfect. Once we realized we wanted some curtains, it was just a matter of typing our ideal item into Wayfair's search bar. And of course, they have what we want plus 10 other options. Their inventory truly cannot be beat.

• 15:33Craig Robinson?

  I especially like being able to look through customer photos and reviews before I decide. That's what sealed the deal for us with our new curtains, as well as all of the other amazing pieces we have from Wayfair in our house right now. Wayfair has more than 20 million verified five-star reviews, so you can actually see how something looks and works in real people's homes. Find pieces made for real life and get even more value with Wayfair Rewards. Join Wayfair Rewards today to get 5% back on every purchase. Head to wayfair.com to shop all things home. That's W A Y F A I R dot com.

• 16:22Craig Robinson?

  All right, next one. How do I combat FOMO?

• 16:27Craig Robinson?

  I was, I was thinking about explaining what FOMO is. I think everybody knows what FOMO is. But I was, I paused.

• 16:35Michelle Obama?

  It's not Hamlet.

• 16:36Craig Robinson?

  I paused. I did pause because I was gonna say, and for those of you who don't know what FOMO is, and then I was gonna say, but you're right, everybody knows what FOMO is. I'm broke and I barely see my friends anymore because they always go out for dinner, get coffees or go on vacations together, generally doing things I can't afford to do right now. How do I combat my FOMO? Or how do I get my friends to do broke things with me?

• 17:03Michelle Obama?

  Plan some broke things.

• 17:05Craig Robinson?

  Yeah.

• 17:05Michelle Obama?

  And invite your friends. I mean, you know, look, yeah. If, if you can't afford to do what they do, I'm sure that that is hurtful and you feel a little left out. Right? Um, but you know, your, your financial position is what it is. But there's so many more ways to have fun. The question that I have is, are they not a planner? Are they just somebody who is waiting to be invited in? It's like, look, if, if, if, if you're not invited, my thing, if you're not invited to a party, then have your own, make your, make your own. Um, invite your friends to a picnic. Do invite people over to your, if you're broke, to your small ass apartment.

• 17:50Michelle Obama?

  And make it a potluck, right? You know, um.

• 17:55Craig Robinson?

  If, if, if they're your true friends.

• 17:57Michelle Obama?

  Mm hmm.

• 17:58Craig Robinson?

  They would love to do something broke with you. So my first thing would be make sure that they're your real friends. Because, you know, my, my, my, my wealthy friends will include me in stuff. And will be happy to come and do my kind of stuff.

• 18:16Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 18:17Craig Robinson?

  And that's how it should be. They, they, your, your real friends don't, it, it's not about what you're doing or how much you're spending. It's being together with people who you enjoy to be around.

• 18:27Michelle Obama?

  So what you're saying is they may not be your friends.

• 18:30Craig Robinson?

  It's what I'm saying. It's what I'm saying.

• 18:32Michelle Obama?

  Okay.

• 18:33Craig Robinson?

  Okay. What is something you're curious about right now that would surprise people?

• 18:39Michelle Obama?

  Gosh, I tell so much about my life. I don't know if anything would surprise people. What am I curious about?

• 18:49Michelle Obama?

  Uh, it's not that I'm curious about, but that I really enjoy, given how, you know, sort of snarky I can be about sports. I actually.

• 18:59Craig Robinson?

  Snarky is a nice word.

• 19:01Michelle Obama?

  I I do enjoy sports. I I really do. I am, I'm, you know, I I know football, I know basketball, I know the game, I've grown up with it. You know, if I'm sitting there watching it, I I definitely do find myself drawn into it, analyzing, well, why they do that and what's going on here. So I can, I can get into it.

• 19:22Craig Robinson?

  Mm hmm.

• 19:23Michelle Obama?

  But what I'm really into are the sports documentaries of any kind. I mean, I love the story of an athlete's rise, fall, journey. Um, and I tend to, I I tend to watch all of it, you know. The, you know, and I'm gonna get the Netflix stuff on tennis and the our, our work that we did, um, uh, Starting Five, um, I watch all of that. If that comes up, if something good comes up in sports. So you'd be surprised that I'm into it in sports, too.

• 19:58Craig Robinson?

  Yeah, I am.

• 19:59Michelle Obama?

  But I'm into it and, you know, just watched, uh, on, uh, on Apple, a documentary about, and that was old Sidney Poitier.

• 20:08Craig Robinson?

  Yeah.

• 20:08Michelle Obama?

  You know, I love just running, I've, I've gone down all the list of, uh, television, uh, you know, uh, bios, and I just love the story of a person's life. But I'm particularly interested in the story of an athlete's life. And their, the work that goes into it and their psyche, their psychology, and how they get through a season. Um, I'm fascinated by that.

• 20:34Craig Robinson?

  That is a surprise.

• 20:35Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 20:35Craig Robinson?

  That is a surprise.

• 20:36Michelle Obama?

  So I did it.

• 20:37Craig Robinson?

  Yes, you did.

• 20:38Michelle Obama?

  What about you?

• 20:38Craig Robinson?

  So I think most people now know.

• 20:41Michelle Obama?

  He likes, he likes fashion.

• 20:43Craig Robinson?

  That's so funny. That would be funny if I said fashion.

• 20:47Michelle Obama?

  He watches the spring shows in Paris.

• 20:52Craig Robinson?

  I think, I think people are well aware that, because I've said this a lot. And now that we do this show, we probably, I probably talked about this a lot, but how much of a race fan I am because I wanted to be a race car driver.

• 21:07Michelle Obama?

  Another thing, little, you wanted to be a pilot and an astronaut. You wanted to do all things.

• 21:12Craig Robinson?

  Stuff that you can't do.

• 21:13Michelle Obama?

  You grew out of your dreams.

• 21:15Craig Robinson?

  I grew out of my dreams and my legs just got too long for the cockpit. They got too long for the driver's seat and, but I, I, I am a, people don't know that I'm a huge Formula One fan.

• 21:28Michelle Obama?

  And I just found that out a couple of years ago.

• 21:30Craig Robinson?

  That was funny when you found out and you, you were so kind to treat Kelly and me on one of my birthdays to a trip down to Miami.

• 21:42Michelle Obama?

  It was the first Formula One they did in Miami. Because a dear friend of ours, Melody Hopson, is friends with both of us and George Lucas. Love you guys, True Blue, Melody's a Prince tonight, but they, George Lucas is a huge Formula One fan.

• 21:58Craig Robinson?

  Yes.

• 21:59Michelle Obama?

  And Melody invited me and I don't know anything about Formula One, but then I heard, you know, that you were into it. I was like, wow, you, well, you, well, let me, let me go for you, right?

• 22:12Craig Robinson?

  Yes, you did, you did, because you had no idea what was going on.

• 22:15Michelle Obama?

  I did not. It was such a scene too.

• 22:19Craig Robinson?

  It was a scene.

• 22:20Michelle Obama?

  It was so confusing.

• 22:20Craig Robinson?

  It's a scene, but once after we got through all the scene part and we were watching the race, you were interested in trying to figure out.

• 22:28Michelle Obama?

  Well, like, it's a sport.

• 22:29Craig Robinson?

  It's a sport. You were like, so why, what's, what's this and that? So that was really fun to see you be open to.

• 22:35Michelle Obama?

  Yeah. And you knew everything about it.

• 22:38Craig Robinson?

  Well, I've been watching.

• 22:39Michelle Obama?

  It's a complicated sport to watch. It's a difficult one to watch because. There's the qualifying. And what does that mean? And what does that mean for your time? And then I didn't realize it was like the tire rotation thing.

• 22:53Craig Robinson?

  Yes.

• 22:53Michelle Obama?

  And how many times you visit, you, you get to, you, I'm.

• 22:56Craig Robinson?

  You visit the pit. You visit the pit.

• 22:58Michelle Obama?

  You know? Um, and what's the penalty? You know, you were explaining all this stuff.

• 23:03Craig Robinson?

  There were some time penalties for infractions and things and, yeah, but I, I, I, that was a bucket list day for me.

• 23:12Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 23:12Craig Robinson?

  But most people do not know.

• 23:14Michelle Obama?

  Know that you're.

• 23:15Craig Robinson?

  That I'm an F1 fan.

• 23:17Michelle Obama?

  You got to walk down in the.

• 23:18Craig Robinson?

  Oh, we were in the paddock. We got to sit in.

• 23:21Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, that's what it's called.

• 23:22Craig Robinson?

  The paddock.

• 23:23Michelle Obama?

  The paddock.

• 23:23Craig Robinson?

  We got to sit in the paddock and we got to sit in the seats that are in the paddock.

• 23:27Michelle Obama?

  Mm-hmm.

• 23:28Craig Robinson?

  And listen to the engineers talking to the racers and, and, and hear what's actually going on. Which you and Kelly had no idea, but I was, I was.

• 23:37Michelle Obama?

  Well, it was good having you there because you were like our little mentor on the side.

• 23:42Craig Robinson?

  Yeah, it was really neat, really neat. So, all right, good question. All right, now this one's just for you.

• 23:48Michelle Obama?

  No.

• 23:49Craig Robinson?

  You can imagine what it is.

• 23:50Michelle Obama?

  No.

• 23:51Craig Robinson?

  What is one of your favorite scenes from any Bravo Real Housewives franchise?

• 24:00Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, that's right. You, in all this time, have you not?

• 24:04Craig Robinson?

  I, so I'm waiting.

• 24:06Michelle Obama?

  Looked at any?

• 24:07Craig Robinson?

  I, I'm, I'm gonna do it because you recommended it to me.

• 24:10Michelle Obama?

  Which, which series are you gonna?

• 24:12Craig Robinson?

  But there's a new one coming out called The Real Housewives of Rhode Island. And since I lived there, I was gonna watch that one.

• 24:18Michelle Obama?

  Don't start with a new one, no.

• 24:20Craig Robinson?

  Don't start with that, well, then I'm jumping in and I won't know the story.

• 24:23Michelle Obama?

  No, well, then you have to do two. Um, because it takes some time for the relationships to cultivate, right? And, you know, we don't know whether the new ones are gonna make it, right? We don't know. I mean, I wish you all well, but we don't know y'all yet. You know, they may not be interesting. I want you to dive into, you know, one where.

• 24:44Craig Robinson?

  Know it's good.

• 24:45Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 24:45Craig Robinson?

  Okay, I get that, I get that, all right.

• 24:47Michelle Obama?

  But scenes that stand out, I, you know, I mean, I, it's hard for me to remember specific scenes. Um, but of course, Teresa Giudice's table flip, you know? Um, prostitution whore, you know?

• 25:05Michelle Obama?

  Prostitution horn! She flipped the table. It's a lot of them involved.

• 25:10Craig Robinson?

  And was stuff on the table?

• 25:12Michelle Obama?

  Oh, it was at a nice dinner. There were wine and tablecloths. And this is, these are the Real Housewives of New Jersey.

• 25:20Craig Robinson?

  Okay, is that one you recommend? Because it said, the follow-up question here says, "What's your recommendation for the best housewife franchise to get new viewers into?"

• 25:30Michelle Obama?

  New Jersey is going through some stuff right now. Because it wasn't even clear that they were gonna film together.

• 25:38Michelle Obama?

  Well, because Teresa Giudice and her brother Joe are central, but they don't, they haven't been getting along. And it got ugly.

• 25:47Craig Robinson?

  There's a brother-sister situation?

• 25:48Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, they're brother-sisters and they're, you know.

• 25:50Craig Robinson?

  And their spouses are on there?

• 25:52Michelle Obama?

  Yep, mhm, yeah, yeah. But I think they are filming. It's a good one.

• 25:57Craig Robinson?

  Okay.

• 25:58Michelle Obama?

  Because the Jersey folks don't play.

• 26:02Michelle Obama?

  So, so that's, there are a couple of ones from Teresa, who was one of the housewives that actually went to jail.

• 26:10Craig Robinson?

  Like real jail?

• 26:11Michelle Obama?

  She served time because her first husband got them into tax trouble. So they both went to jail.

• 26:19Craig Robinson?

  Really?

• 26:20Michelle Obama?

  And the first husband is not allowed back in the country. And they have kids. They have five, four or five beautiful girls. So we saw all that.

• 26:28Craig Robinson?

  This is not fake.

• 26:30Michelle Obama?

  No, no, no. She went to jail.

• 26:32Craig Robinson?

  She went to jail and they, they had her on the show. She, they showed her going to jail.

• 26:36Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, and then when she got out and then she came back on the show.

• 26:39Craig Robinson?

  And she's back on the show? Oh my gosh.

• 26:41Michelle Obama?

  That, that's a journey. That's what I'm saying. Go to New Jersey.

• 26:45Craig Robinson?

  Okay.

• 26:45Michelle Obama?

  But you gotta start, I go, pick a season that you can start, maybe right around the time she's about to go to jail.

• 26:51Craig Robinson?

  Okay.

• 26:51Michelle Obama?

  Would be a good one.

• 26:52Craig Robinson?

  All right.

• 26:53Michelle Obama?

  But Teresa's a pill. And there was one time in the reunion when she like, almost knocked out Andy Cohen.

• 27:02Craig Robinson?

  Fist fight?

• 27:04Michelle Obama?

  She was going after another housewife and he was trying to stop her. This is the host. She takes one arm and just pushes him out of way. And she's a little, these are little ladies, but she's strong. I love that one. That was another one.

• 27:17Craig Robinson?

  Okay.

• 27:17Michelle Obama?

  All right.

• 27:19Craig Robinson?

  All right.

• 27:21Craig Robinson?

  Back to reality.

• 27:25Michelle Obama?

  But that's something, you know, we're gonna have to do another one. And by the next time we do a mailbag, you will have to have seen one.

• 27:33Craig Robinson?

  I'll have to see one, and then we can talk about it.

• 27:35Michelle Obama?

  All right, Aaron, you're in charge. Does Kelly watch any?

• 27:39Craig Robinson?

  Yes, I've told you.

• 27:41Michelle Obama?

  Oh, well, then watch with her. Watch the one that she... This is a good couples activity.

• 27:46Craig Robinson?

  The women in my family, all of them are smart, intelligent.

• 27:51Michelle Obama?

  This isn't about smart and intelligence. This is about...

• 27:55Craig Robinson?

  Leslie.

• 27:55Michelle Obama?

  Juice. This is about tea.

• 27:57Craig Robinson?

  Elena, they all watch this.

• 28:02Michelle Obama?

  Tea. Other people's tea.

• 28:04Craig Robinson?

  Okay, all right.

• 28:14Craig Robinson?

  This episode of IMO is brought to you by Theraplu. Theraplu, makers of fast-acting cold and flu relief, believes everyone deserves the right to rest and recover when they're sick, no matter where they live or how much money they make. As part of our partnership with Theraplu, we've been asking for listeners' stories about what it's like to balance caregiving and taking time off when you're sick. And it's been eye-opening to hear about the struggle that caregivers in particular have when it comes to choosing between taking time off when sick and putting food on the table. The health policy organization KFF reported that about half of working parents lose pay when they miss work to care for sick kids.

• 28:58Craig Robinson?

  In 2021, Theraplu launched the Rest and Recover Fund, and they've committed more than $1 million to provide micro grants to families and individuals, helping offset the cost of taking a sick day for those who don't have coverage. Learn more or help someone apply for the fund at theraplu.com/righttorecover.

• 29:22Craig Robinson?

  This episode of IMO is brought to you in part by Acorns. Back when I was coaching basketball, I saw firsthand how powerful consistency can be. With Acorns, it's the same play. Show up, stay steady, and let time do the rest. Acorns is a financial wellness app that makes it easy to start saving and investing for your future. You don't need to be rich. Acorns lets you get started with the spare money you've got right now, even if all you've got is spare change. You don't need to be an expert. Acorns recommends a diversified portfolio that can help you weather all the market's ups and downs. You just need to stick with it, and Acorns makes that easy.

• 30:05Craig Robinson?

  Acorns automatically invests your money, giving it a chance to grow with time. This reminds me of the consistent steps it took for me to go from a player into the business world and back into coaching. Sign up now and join over 14 million all-time customers who have already saved and invested over $25 billion with Acorns. Plus, Acorns will boost your new account with a $20 bonus investment. Offer only available at acorns.com/imo. That's A-C-O-R-N-S dot com slash I-M-O to get your $20 bonus investment today. From Acorns, mighty oaks do grow.

• 30:48Craig Robinson?

  Investing doesn't have to be complicated. Acorns makes it easy to invest for your future, plan for tomorrow, and spend smarter today. Paid non-client endorsement compensation provides incentive to positively promote Acorns. Investing involves risk. Acorns Advisors LLC, an SEC-registered investment advisor. View important disclosures at acorns.com/imo.

• 31:18Craig Robinson?

  All right, here's the next question. I like this one. I've been seeing this guy for a year. His lease is ending and he asked if he could move in with me. I have a spare room. He can only contribute $500

• 31:33Michelle Obama?

  What?

• 31:34Craig Robinson?

  to the monthly rent while I can cover the rest on my end. But my question for you is, how do you deal with an early relationship with uneven financial footing? I know what your answer is gonna be.

• 31:49Michelle Obama?

  Well, no, I mean, I think an early relationship with uneven financial footing, you know, you probably have to split more. I mean, I don't think that it's necessary for two people to be financial equals to build a relationship. Building a relationship and dating, but moving in, period. You know, if it's early in the relationship, you shouldn't be moving in, first of all. I don't care how much money he has or doesn't have. Like, you don't know him yet, right? Let alone a new person in your life that you've just met that is now gonna be living in a room that you have? What happens if, you know,

• 32:34Michelle Obama?

  what are you gonna do when you find out that he lied about something? Or you find out that he is different from who you thought he is? And now he's on your, he's a subletter, you know? Now you have a contract with him. Why on earth would anybody think to do that early in a relationship? You know, wait, wait a couple of years. Well, I'm not, you know, I'm not even gonna speak to whether the male in the relationship should be contributing more. This, to me, is about, you don't do anything that's serious in an early part of a relationship.

• 33:09Craig Robinson?

  Yeah.

• 33:12Michelle Obama?

  Maybe this will be controversial, but I don't. I think you can have like, deep like at first sight. But love to me, in most instances, because there are always exceptions. It takes time to fully know, have somebody reveal themselves to you over time. To know whether or not your, your affections and your feelings stand the test of time. There's so many tests you need in a relationship. Have you ever traveled together? Traveling together and not just traveling to grandma's house, doing a tough trip, like go abroad, you know? Be, use passports, be in a place where there is another language and things aren't comfortable.

• 33:58Michelle Obama?

  How do you all resolve those issues? I'm always like, you always want to see how your partner's home life is. What are, go to Thanksgiving dinner. See how people relate to their, their families. Do they have a relationship? What, what are some of the sticking points? If you meet somebody in January, you missed the holidays. So you gotta wait another, you want to get to a holiday where you see people's families, right? I mean, I just think that, you know, time reveals so much. Of course, there are the exceptions. There are plenty of people that I know who have great relationships where I met them. Month one, we were engaged. Month three, we've been married for 20 years. That happens for sure.

• 34:43Michelle Obama?

  But my recommendation is always, take some time.

• 34:46Craig Robinson?

  Yeah.

• 34:47Michelle Obama?

  Make moving in like way down the line.

• 34:50Craig Robinson?

  Yeah.

• 34:51Michelle Obama?

  And if he's that broke, that if, if you're saying he's moving in with you because he can't afford to live anywhere else, I would definitely stay clear of that. Like, don't, don't come to the rescue. Cause I'd want to know, why, how did you get in a position?

• 35:07Craig Robinson?

  That's a real red flag.

• 35:08Michelle Obama?

  Where you can't afford rent. I just want to know, I just want to see your bank statements.

• 35:11Craig Robinson?

  Yeah. Right, right.

• 35:13Michelle Obama?

  What do you think?

• 35:13Craig Robinson?

  There's not much I would say differently. I, I will say, I will say that I don't think that your take is controversial. I think most people realize that it's hard to have love at first sight. It's just, but you know, I don't know too many, I'm trying to think of the people in my life who said that they met their. Partner and knew right away that was gonna be a long-term situation.

• 35:37Michelle Obama?

  I've met people like that. I have met people like that, but it's not the norm.

• 35:41Craig Robinson?

  It's not the norm. It's not the norm. So I don't think it's controversial. And I think the important thing to peel, to peel back what you said is there's no need to hurry to move in together. Especially if you're adults, right? Like, you know, you know, I would, it's just, there's absolutely no hurry. Take the time to get to know the person and don't, and certainly don't move in together. This is like a shotgun move in together.

• 36:12Michelle Obama?

  Mm-hmm. It's like, I'm about to get kicked out.

• 36:14Craig Robinson?

  I'm about to get kicked out. Can you help a brother out? Yeah, no, I can't. I cannot. All right. That's easy. All right. This one's just for you.

• 36:23Michelle Obama?

  Oh, another one. Are there some that are just for you?

• 36:26Craig Robinson?

  Well, no, because you're the iconic one of the pair and folks.

• 36:30Michelle Obama?

  That's not what the word on the street is.

• 36:34Craig Robinson?

  So what's a White House secret you've never told? Which doesn't make sense because then it wouldn't be a secret.

• 36:40Michelle Obama?

  I mean, I've told everything. All the secrets that I can tell.

• 36:44Craig Robinson?

  You have told already.

• 36:45Michelle Obama?

  Pick up one of my books, they're in there. And anything I haven't told you, I can't. There's a reason.

• 36:52Craig Robinson?

  That's right. That is correct.

• 36:55Michelle Obama?

  Of national security.

• 36:57Craig Robinson?

  This one is, you know, I laughed when I saw this question, which I shouldn't have said because I might offend somebody, but here, here we go. I just found out through Instagram that my ex is dating a far-right conservative. For context, we are both women. When I'm DM'd, when I DM'd her about it, she blocked me. Have you lost friends to politics before? And how do you feel with close friends having such drastic ideological changes?

• 37:30Michelle Obama?

  Um, well, you know, I mean, we're the Obamas. I think all our friends are pretty clear on, you know, what they're entering into when they, they, you know, endeavor to have a friendship. But before, we were the, I can say that.

• 37:49Michelle Obama?

  There has been an instance where I've felt that because my husband was in politics, I felt that some people that I respected were not supportive. Not in a like, I'm gonna vote for him, but I'm gonna work against him.

• 38:08Craig Robinson?

  Mm hmm.

• 38:10Michelle Obama?

  I'm kinda, I don't play when it comes to my husband.

• 38:13Craig Robinson?

  No.

• 38:14Michelle Obama?

  So there, there's only been a handful of instances where I've dropped a friend because I didn't trust them around this issue.

• 38:23Craig Robinson?

  Mm hmm.

• 38:24Michelle Obama?

  Or I, you know, I was like, if you're not with him, then you're not with me. But it, it's been rare. It's been very rare.

• 38:32Craig Robinson?

  Yeah.

• 38:33Michelle Obama?

  And I, you know, I, I, I think it's hard for us not to know our friends' political stances because of who we are.

• 38:45Craig Robinson?

  It's also hard not to know because they're your friends. And if they're your friends, you know what their political leanings are.

• 38:52Michelle Obama?

  Sometimes people just don't wanna talk about politics.

• 38:54Craig Robinson?

  Not my friends. See, this is an easy one for me. I haven't lost any friends because they're my friends.

• 39:00Michelle Obama?

  Mm hmm.

• 39:01Craig Robinson?

  Right? Yeah, you shouldn't be losing friends over political ideology.

• 39:06Michelle Obama?

  You know, there are people who have, are struggling within families because of different, you know, views. I think politics is, is more divisive now in ways that it wasn't the case when, when we were coming up. So I do think more people are probably confronted with this issue.

• 39:27Craig Robinson?

  Mm hmm.

• 39:28Michelle Obama?

  It's a, all I can say, it's, it's, it's a difficult position to be in, especially when, you know, it is hard not to see certain positions as contrary to some fundamental things that you believe in. And it, it, it can get tough. But I haven't, you know, I haven't had to deal with that. And what I would tell the questioner.

• 39:59Michelle Obama?

  You know, try to, try to stay open and have some communication, you know, because there was something in your partner that you saw before politics got in the way. And, and people grow and change. So if you were really into and cared about this person,

• 40:20Michelle Obama?

  I would urge you all to maybe seek some counseling, to find a way to have a mediated conversation. Maybe you have to draw some lines in the sand and just say, "We love each other, but we can't go here."

• 40:36Michelle Obama?

  I wouldn't throw out the baby with a bathwater because political ideologies change. I'm not sure how old they are. If they're young, you know, people can be playing around in a space. They could be exploring different beliefs.

• 40:51Michelle Obama?

  I would say, try to work on some line of communication. And you might need a thirty, third-party person to help you do it.

• 41:03Michelle Obama?

  If you think the relationship was worth it before the political divide happened, or you were aware of it.

• 41:09Craig Robinson?

  Right, right. As in, most relationship questions, communication's key.

• 41:15Michelle Obama?

  Try it out.

• 41:15Craig Robinson?

  Try it.

• 41:28Craig Robinson?

  We have one more question from our listener who is here in studio with us. It will be Crystal from Alaska.

• 41:37Speaker 02

  How can I, as a single woman, talk to my friends about not being able to contribute to bachelorette parties and baby showers? I'm building a financial future for myself that might rely solely on me, and I need to hunker down. Asking for a friend.

• 41:51Michelle Obama?

  There is sort of, the, the expectations in, of weddings has exploded since you and I got married.

• 42:02Craig Robinson?

  Okay.

• 42:02Michelle Obama?

  Right? I mean, when, when we were coming up, you got, you got engaged on your own. Your fiance came, asked. It was an intimate experience.

• 42:15Michelle Obama?

  There was generally not an engagement party.

• 42:18Craig Robinson?

  No, I've never been to an engagement.

• 42:20Michelle Obama?

  I'd never, we've never been to an engagement party. Anytime in our life when we were broken, when we were with, you know, even a higher class of people who had resources, our peers, who were all professionals and bankers and lawyers. This never happened, never went to an engagement party. Never went on a pre-engagement trip, you know? Never, so now, the, you know, the expectation is that everybody flies in. So the engagement becomes an event in itself where friends are expected to fly in after the engagement to then celebrate the couple after they've been engaged. So that's an ask.

• 43:05Michelle Obama?

  And then there's the bachelorette party or the bachelor party, which oftentimes is a destination place. So now your friend got married. Now, not only were you expected to fly, and sometimes you're flying to Paris for their engagement because they wanted to get, they're from the South Side of Chicago, but they've dreamt of getting engaged in front of the Eiffel Tower. And now they want you to join in. And the bachelor party is like that. The bachelor party is like that. And this is before you get to the wedding, which a lot of times this day and age, people are having these destination weddings from the South Side of Chicago, but we're gonna get married on the Amalfi Coast. And you're in it, and you have to fly there.

• 43:49Michelle Obama?

  This is what this caller is talking about. In order to participate and celebrate your friends, and just imagine you're at the stage where you have five friends getting married in one year.

• 44:00Craig Robinson?

  And it's early in your.

• 44:02Michelle Obama?

  Your career.

• 44:02Craig Robinson?

  Your career.

• 44:03Michelle Obama?

  Right, we're not talking about people in their 40s. Right. So, and so what I'm finding is that the young people in my life are spending so much of their early wealth on attending other, being involved in each other's weddings. I've talked to people of, in their 20s, who've, they've got like 10 weddings. That's their, and they're traveling to all of them. So it's a plane ticket, it's hotel, not to mention what you're wearing. This is if you're not in the wedding party.

• 44:34Michelle Obama?

  I just think that in this culture, what I would say to young people is, count really, it's like what I say about college. If you don't, if you can't afford to do it, then you really have to know how much it costs. You have to know how much money you're spending, what those loans are gonna mean that you're taking out, what those payments are gonna do to you, what that means at the tail end of your experience, so that at the end of it, you don't wind up with nothing or surprised that you don't have wealth. I mean, if you're going to that many weddings, I can tell you, I've heard young people say they're spending eight, $10,000 a year going to other people's weddings. What I will say is,

• 45:18Michelle Obama?

  that is the beginning of a down payment on a home. That is the beginning of a down payment if you decide to have kids, of putting your kids in college. And I'm not saying that people can't have the wedding that they want, but what I advise young people is you better really think about what you can afford.

• 45:39Craig Robinson?

  Right.

• 45:39Michelle Obama?

  And set a budget for yourself that you can afford. And then you have to talk to your friends. Now we're on the broke part, you know? You should tell your friends, I love you. I am happy for you. I can't afford it. And I'm gonna be able to afford to do three things this year. Because once you do that, now you don't have your vacation. This is your vacation. This is your trip to visit your family, you know? You're compounding all of this. I would strongly urge young people to count to really understand the financial expense that they're making. And if you can afford to do it, and this is how you wanna spend your money, of course, have at it, you know?

• 46:22Michelle Obama?

  It's wonderful to support your friends in weddings. Maybe you'll find the love of your life at somebody's wedding. You don't wanna miss, you don't wanna miss out. That's the FOMO part of it. But to do it blindly, to do it and then look up in 10 years and go, I don't have any savings because I've been a... And then that means that friends have to understand.

• 46:44Craig Robinson?

  I hate to beat a dead horse, but I am going to, because it all goes back to, you know, my really good friends.

• 46:53Craig Robinson?

  Would either have a wedding that people, that their friends could attend, or they would understand that their friends couldn't attend because it was gonna be too expensive for them. So I'm in total agreement with you. I just didn't realize that it had gotten to the point of this nuclear explosion.

• 47:15Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, the expectations.

• 47:17Craig Robinson?

  Of folks having these big wedding, big destination weddings.

• 47:23Michelle Obama?

  We had a, Barack and I, we had a big wedding. It was 300 and something people. But, you know, we did it in Chicago. We did it in a venue. We got a local caterer. We didn't have a wedding coordinator. We didn't have a, and it still cost a lot of money. Now, we, and a lot for the time. It was $12,000, which felt like a lot.

• 47:50Craig Robinson?

  Yeah.

• 47:50Michelle Obama?

  It was a lot for us, starting out. But even looking back, we were glad we did it because our families were from, you know, Barack's family lived in Hawaii. There wasn't, there wasn't sort of a regular way for our families to get together. It felt good to have all of our friends from all parts of our lives come together and they meet each other and they stayed friends with each other. That was all good. But it wasn't the venue, or the flowers, or the, you know, any of the things we spent money on that made it special. And I, I probably didn't know that then because I was young and, you know,

• 48:34Michelle Obama?

  you dream of your wedding and I would have spent less, you know. But it's easy to say in hindsight, right? So I get, you know, you, you have this dream wedding and, you know, we have the resources. I would want to help Malia and Sasha have the weddings that they wanted. But I would definitely be. Be talking to them about the burden some of their choices would have on their friends. You have to sort of talk about that upfront and figure out what that means and what they want. And I'd also offer money over the cost of a wedding.

• 49:15Craig Robinson?

  Yeah, I know. That's your MO. You want the wedding or you want the check?

• 49:19Michelle Obama?

  Let's make a deal. Do you want the box? What's behind door number three? Or do you want to take what's in the box?

• 49:26Craig Robinson?

  That's my sister. That's great. Great. My sister's MO.

• 49:30Michelle Obama?

  What?

• 49:31Craig Robinson?

  Do you want the box or do you want the curtain? Most people take the curtain.

• 49:36Michelle Obama?

  Well.

• 49:37Craig Robinson?

  This has been fun.

• 49:38Michelle Obama?

  Does it for our mailbag, our first attempt. If the listeners like it, we'll do more of it.

• 49:44Craig Robinson?

  Let us know because we'll do more of this. This was really fun.

• 49:46Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, and we're in no shortage of opinions on I M O.

• 50:14Craig Robinson?

  This episode is brought to you by Cologuard. I knew that I shouldn't delay screening for colon cancer, and Cologuard has made that process 1 million times easier for all of us. I just answered a few questions about my age and medical history. And once their licensed clinician determined I was eligible, they issued the prescription and the Cologuard Plus kit was sent right to my home. No doctor's office visit necessary. For me, there was just immediate relief in getting it done. It cost me $0 with my insurance. It took me truly 15 minutes, and now I can rest easier knowing I screened properly. Plus, if you get a negative result, you generally don't need a repeat Cologuard test for three years.

• 50:58Craig Robinson?

  If you're 45 or older and at average risk, it's time to screen for colon cancer, even if you feel perfectly healthy. And Cologuard Plus gives you an option you can use right at home. Talk to your healthcare provider about screening for colon cancer with Cologuard or request it online today at Cologuard.com where they have an easy telehealth option. Don't wait. Cologuard products are intended to screen adults 45 and older at average risk for colorectal cancer. Do not use if you have had a personal history of colorectal cancer or polyps, have inflammatory bowel disease, a family history of colorectal cancer, or certain hereditary syndromes, or a positive result from another colon cancer screening method within that test-recommended screening interval. Cologuard results should be interpreted with caution as false positives and false negatives do occur. Available by prescription only.