Michelle Obama Jokes With Gayle About Great Sex at Every Age: "Yes, I Support That Principle"
To mark the 25th annual Essence Festival in New Orleans, former First Lady Michelle Obama rocked her natural hair for an interview with O's very own Gayle King.
During the sit-down, the two chatted about relationship advice, the keys to healthy living, and the reaction to Mrs. Obama's memoir Becoming.
You can watch the livestream over at CBS News Live.
This year, Essence celebrated a monumental anniversary: Its 25th annual music festival. In addition to headliners including Mary J. Blige and Missy Elliott, the festival saw a very special guest: Former First Lady Michelle Obama.
At the New Orleans event at the Superdome, Mrs. Obama sat down with our very own editor-at-large Gayle King to discuss the reaction to her now best-selling memoir Becoming— plus healthy living, the 2020 election, and relationship advice — even her thoughts on “great sex at every age.” And she did so while making a statement, rocking a sparkly navy jumpsuit and her natural curly hair.
Mrs. Obama took the stage after a video montage featuring heart-warming stories from her mother and brother, Marian and Craig Robinson, before she opened up to Gayle for an honest conversation full of laughs. Check out the highlights from their chat below — and watch the entire interview over at CBS News Live.
On her thoughts on the Democratic nominees for the 2020 election:
When Gayle asked the former First Lady who she's pulling for so far out of the Democratic candidates for President in 2020, Mrs. Obama was clear: “Barack and I will support whoever wins the primary. Our primary focus is on letting the process play out. It is early and things will change. The general election is so important and we have to get behind whoever comes out of that primary.”
But when Gayle asked about the tense moment during the first debate between Senator Kamala Harris and former Vice President Joe Biden, Mrs. Obama simply replied, “No comment.”
On what she learned about herself while writing Becoming:
“I learned that I could work really hard. But I learned people are really hungry for stories. Hungry for stories of people who look and feel like them,” Mrs. Obama said about the book, which quickly went on after its release to become one of the best-selling memoirs of all time — and also, an Oprah's Book Club pick.
“People have found and recognized themselves in the stories of this little Black girl who grew up on the South Side of Chicago. I knew it was important in writing Becoming, that I had to sit with the fact of how rare it is, that a Black woman gets to tell her own story in a book that will be read by millions."
On why she chose to be so honest about what it was like during the Presidency — especially those angry Black woman comments:
“It was important to tell that part of the story, because they see me and Barack now, but they don’t know how many punches it took us to get there. People from all sides, Democrats and Republicans, tried to take me out by the knees. And the best way they could do it was to focus on the strength of the Black woman, so they turned that into a caricature.”
She added: “Barack knew how to take punches, but I had never been at the center of it. For a minute I thought about quitting the campaign trail. But I wanted to share those moments because people tried to define us. I had to prove that not only was I smart and strategic, but I had to work harder than any First Lady in history.”
On the inauguration:
After Gayle asked Mrs. Obama what the day President Trump was elected President was like—and the former First Lady jokingly referenced the "other family" — she then got serious.
"That day was very emotional, and then to sit at that inauguration and to look around at a crowd that was not reflective of the country ... and I had to sit in that audience as one of the handfuls of people of color ... all that I had to hold on to was those last eight years, and it was a lot emotionally. By the time I got on the plane, it was a release of eight years of trying to have to show up."
Gayle then asked Mrs. Obama whether or not she and her husband feel as though what's happening now is almost like Trump administration is tearing down her family's legacy, and Mrs. Obama revealed that she gets that question often.
"I can honestly say, our upset wasn’t over our legacy. We weren’t there to instill our legacy, but the upset it would cause the country. What saddens me is what it’s doing to the country as a whole. What we have to be really conscientious of is what kind of country we’re leaving for our children or grandchildren."
On learning to put herself and her health first:
"I found myself getting mad at [Barack] because he was going to the gym and doing what he needed to do for him. Us as women, we have a hard time putting ourselves on our own priority lists, let alone at the top of it ... and that's what happens when it comes to our health. We almost feel guilty when it comes to taking out time for ourselves. We need to have a different set of conversations to un-train us."
On losing her father at age 55 — the same age she is now:
When Gayle admitted that her own parents dying at a young age often makes her nervous about her health, she asked Mrs. Obama if she ever feels the same — and the former First Lady got a bit choked up.
"Not a day goes by that me and my brother don't think about the fact that he didn't live long enough to see who he raised. He had M.S., a disease that was degenerative, and he's one of the reasons I don't take my health for granted ... but when I think about how we have to think about what our loss could mean, leaving the Earth too early for the ones who were counting on us to be there for them. That's why health is so important to me. When it happens because of stuff we have complete control over ... I start thinking about, my God, my father didn't get to meet those two beautiful girls. They didn't know the man that raised me."
On the fact that she and President Obama will soon be empty nesters:
When Gayle asked if the former First Lady and the President will be running around “butt naked” now that their youngest daughter will soon be leaving the nest, Mrs. Obama responded with a laugh: "Gayle, that is none of your business!" She then added: "Barack's like ‘You seem so much less stressed,’ and I'm like, duh! Not only were we parenting teenagers, but every Saturday night you had to worry about whether your kid is gonna end up on Page Six. Now we're rediscovering each other. I'm looking over and going ‘Hey ... you, where have you been for 21 years?!’"
This picture sparks joy ✨@gayleking and @michelleobama joining forces at @essencefest tonight!
A post shared by O, The Oprah Magazine (@oprahmagazine) on Jul 6, 2019 at 8:00pm PDT
"This is the beauty of finding a partner that you really love and respect, because after all the highs and lows and ups and downs, we have each other, which makes the journey worth it. That's the investment in relationships. We are reconnecting, but the journey of marriage for all you young people who are in love ... when you're at the point where you wanna choke each other ... you know you wanna choke each other every once in awhile, and that's okay! When you're like, just your breathing is getting on my nerves. The way you chew gets on my nerves! If you can hang in there through the bad chewing times, you get through the dark times and see the clouds and then you see your baby and say I remember you! That's where me and Barack are right now. We're like, ‘I see you boo!’"
On her relationship advice for other couples:
“Equality is not just measured in terms of the wallet. Equality is in terms of the value that they carry. Honesty is the beginning, the middle, and the end. I wouldn’t want to be bothered with someone I couldn’t trust on a day-to-day basis. It’s not just about how much money they make or title. Someone could have the right salary, but the wrong heart."
And, finally ... on her thoughts on great sex at every age:
To wrap things up, Gayle asked Mrs. Obama to answer a lightning round of questions based on the names of Essence Festival sessions — and then got to one called "Great sex at every age," before pausing pointedly for Mrs. Obama's answer. "Yes. I support that principle. I mean, come on Gayle!" the former First Lady joked with a laugh. "What I'm 'sposed to say to that? 'No, I take issue with that?' Yes, Gayle, the answer is yes!"
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