Yahoo Entertainment Barack Obama on Why He's the Butt of Jokes from Daughters Sasha and Malia: 'They're Afraid of Michelle'
Mark Wilson/Getty Images Michelle (left) and Barack Obama
Barack Obama is a former commander-in-chief — but he knows daughters Sasha and Malia don't see him as the domineering parent, compared with wife Michelle Obama.
"They know that I'm all bark and no real bite," President Obama, 59, told Dax Shepard on the actor's latest Armchair Expert podcast.
Instead, Obama says his Sasha, 20, and Malia, 22, are much more daunted by their mom, the former first lady.
"Michelle, she's the top dog 'cause they're scared of her," President Obama told Shepard with a laugh. "Michelle says that you have to always have at least one parent who the kids think is a little bit crazy and might actually kill you."
Michelle Obama/Twitter The Obamas celebrate Thanksgiving 2019
During the episode, the former president shared details about the advice he has given his girls. He also opened up about being raised by a single mother, the late Stanley Ann Dunham, and why he "wasn't that hesitant to committing to Michelle" when they married in 1992.
"I like the idea of family, I like the idea of being there as a husband and a dad in a way that I hadn't had," he said.
But one of the episode's most lighthearted moments came when the he talked about whether his daughters take him seriously when it comes to discipline in the Obama house.
When Shepard asked if he had earned "more sway" over Sasha and Malia because of his accomplishments, he laughed. "Absolutely not!"
"You're never a prophet in your own land," he quipped. "In fact, I am generally the brunt of every joke in the household."
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He said that "at the dinner table, the three of them just mock me constantly about my big ears or my weird habits or fashion sense or if I mispronounce the name of some hip-hop star that Sasha's been listening to."
"They all go, 'What an idiot,' " Obama he said, laughing. "So that's basically the vibe at my house."
Malia, who recently graduated from Harvard University, turns 23 on Sunday; while the former president marked Sasha's recent birthday with a heartfelt post on social media.
"You've grown so much, and it's been a joy to watch you become the person we always hoped you'd be," he wrote last month. "Your mom and I can't wait to see where life takes you next."
