The Time Michelle Obama Was Hilariously Humbled By Her Mother
Before she was a first lady, movie producer, and esteemed author, Michelle Obama was a daughter growing up in Chicago, Illinois — humble roots that her mother, Marian Robinson, doesn't hesitate to bring up when necessary. As Obama showed in a hilarious Instagram post, you can be an internationally known figure and still get razzed by your mom.
While on a promotional tour for her book "Becoming," Obama shared a text thread between her and her mother at a tour stop in Phoenix before sharing it on social media. Obama and her mother were discussing the former first lady's guest appearance at the 2019 Grammy Awards.
"I guess you were a hit at the Grammys," Robinson wrote, adding a smiling emoji with its tongue sticking out. Obama asked her mother if she had tuned in to the program, to which Robinson replied, "Did you meet any of the real stars or did you run right after you were done?"
Michelle Obama and her mother's text thread was hilariously relatable
Former first lady Michelle Obama was a good sport about her mother's tongue-in-cheek question about meeting "real" stars, writing in her caption, "When your mom doesn't think you're a "real" celebrity...Tonight in Phoenix, I shared this text thread from my mom from Grammys night, and I just had to share it with all of you" with a crying laughing emoji.
In typical mother-daughter fashion, Obama and her mother, Marian Robinson, also debated over whether Obama had told her mom that she would be at the Grammy Awards. The "Becoming" author insisted that she had reminded her mom, but Robinson was less convinced. Robinson insisted that she would've remembered her daughter saying she would be at the Grammys. (But to be fair, when your daughter is a former first lady, there's a good chance all those public appearances start to run together.)
Obama wasn't afraid to dish back some good-natured attitude to her mother, writing, "And I Am A real star...by the way..." Robinson agreed, and Obama sent back a pink heart emoji.
The former first lady has continued this tradition with her own daughters
The text thread between Michelle Obama and her mother, Marian Robinson, was a funny insight into how the former first lady developed her down-to-earth attitude — and that's something Obama is passing on to her daughters, Malia and Sasha Obama. In addition to her book tours, film production endeavors, and spending time with her husband, former President Barack Obama, Michelle has spent quality time with her daughters since leaving the White House.
Michelle hasn't been afraid to humble Malia and Sasha either, like when her daughters served her and Barack martinis at a dinner party hosted at the girls' apartment. The author recalled the cocktails on an episode of "The Tonight Show," saying, "That was a bad martini. It was very weak, in a tumbling glass. It was mostly vermouth and ice."
Robinson didn't just teach her daughter how to stay humble. Michelle explained at the 2018 American Library Association annual conference that her mother serves as a soundboard and guidepost to remember what's truly important in life. "When I go throughout my day, I often ask myself, 'Am I doing what I think Marian and Fraser would expect me to do?'" she said at the event (via Associated Press). Indeed, these are qualities Michelle seems to embody with her daughters, proving that no one is above advice (or a bit of razzing) from their parents, no matter how famous they are.