Witty Michelle Obama Moments We'll Never Forget
Michelle Obama really does have it all. Not only is she super smart, incredibly stunning, and the ultimate role model, but she's also got a natural wit most people would kill for. Though a lot of politicians' and their families get a little help with public speaking from their PR teams, this former First Lady has proven time and time again that she knows how to bring the jokes (including the occasional funny clap back) without anyone's help.
Just one of the times we saw that signature sense of humor on full display was back in 2022 when she made a quip about the real reason she married former president Barack Obama. After Jimmy Kimmel asked her on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" if she enjoys spending time in her husband's home state of Hawaii, she jokingly hit back, "That's why I married Barack. He was from Hawaii. I was like, 'Yeah, you're kind of cute, ears are a little big. And you're from where? I think I love you!'" But that's hardly the first, or only, time we've seen Michelle Obama's razor sharp wit peek out over the years.
Michelle Obama's 'Bye, Felicia' quip was iconic
One of Michelle Obama's most memorable witty moments has to be when she delivered the iconic "Bye, Felicia" line while discussing her husband Barack Obama's predecessor, Donald Trump, moving into the White House. The super sassy moment went down when the former first lady appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" in 2018. Jimmy Fallon showed a photo of herself and her husband waving at the door of Air Force One the day they left 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
"Can you just walk me through...," Fallon began, but before he could finish his sentence, Obama made it very clear what she was thinking that day. "Bye, Felicia!" she quickly stated, which saw Fallon (and the whole audience at the NBC late night show) burst into laughter. Obama also had a cheeky laugh at her own comment, to which Fallon, after composing himself, asked, "Is that what was going through your mind?" She replied, "A lot was going on that day," before sarcastically adding, "That was a day."
For those unfamiliar with the "Bye, Felicia" quote, it's actually from the 1995 movie "Friday." The line is uttered by Craig, played by Ice Cube, who says it to a girl named Felicia who no one wants to be around. The term gained popularity online a few years after that, and is considered a sassy remark said when someone is leaving behind a situation or person they don't care all that much about.
She wasn't impressed with her daughters' cocktail making skills
Michelle Obama hasn't been overly impressed with Malia Obama and Sasha Obama's cocktail making skills — and she let the world know on two separate occasions. In 2022, Obama told the story of how she and Barack Obama were invited to spend an evening with their now all grown-up daughters at the house the two were sharing in Los Angeles but were treated to drinks she felt were pretty sub-par.
During a November 2022 appearance on "Today," Obama got witty when describing the condition of her 21-year-old and 24-year-old kids' alcoholic beverages. She remarked, "The martinis were a little weak. I don't think they really knew what it was." That same month, she threw some playful shade at her daughters' bartending skills once again during her "20/20" special, titled "Michelle Obama: The Light We Carry, A Conversation with Robin Roberts." "They had prepared a charcuterie tray and tried to make two very weak martinis. They realized they didn't have any of the ingredients, but they were trying to, they were hosting us," Obama, who hid her initial feelings about her daughters moving in together, quipped (via Good Morning America).
Sasha and Malia Obama also caught their mom's wit over their 'Most Influential Teens' honor
Sasha Obama and Malia Obama haven't only caught some humorous heat from Michelle Obama over their cocktail making skills (or lack thereof), though. The two were also taken down a peg by their mom after they made it onto Time's list of Most Influential Teens of 2014.
Obama was asked about her daughters' (who were 13-years-old and 16-years-old at the time) big honor during a 2015 interview with "Live! With Kelly and Michael" from the White House lawn — and she wasn't afraid to throw a little shade in her daughters' direction (all in a playful way, of course). After Michael Strahan mentioned that they'd been named on the list, the then first lady quickly hit back, "Yeah, I don't know why." Strahan then asked, "You're not a proud mom about that?" to which Obama retorted with a laugh, "They're not influential. They just live here. They have done nothing to gain any influence."
Though Obama (whose been humbled by her own mom in the past) was clearly only joking about her kids' influence, there's no doubting that the two deserved their places on the list. After all, Malia was only 15 when she earned her first Hollywood gig, which is pretty darn impressive, if you ask us.
Michelle Obama proved her wit when asked about life after death
In 2023, Michelle Obama proved once again that her signature wit really does come totally naturally during a quick-fire question session with Stephen Colbert on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert." After Colbert asked the former First Lady what she thinks happens after death, she had the perfect answer locked and loaded. "We go to heaven," Obama retorted, before adding, "Or I do!" That promoted some raucous laughter from the host and the audience, during which Colbert leaned in to shake her hand. "I'll miss you, I will," Colbert jokingly told her. "Think of me. Put in a good word."
But while her witty remark was no doubt hilarious, it actually came from a very real place. Obama has been open about her Christian faith on a few occasions, including in her 2018 book, "Becoming." She wrote about how much knowing others were praying for her meant during her family's time in the White House. "I kept their words with me. I felt the protection of those millions of decent people who prayed for our safety," she shared. Obama also noted that she and her husband leaned on their faith a lot during his presidency, even though they couldn't visit church as much as they would have liked because of the attention they attract. "It had become such a spectacle, involving reporters' shouting questions as we walked in to worship," she recalled.
Jimmy Kimmel felt Michelle Obama's witty wrath after asking a very personal question
It seems like Michelle Obama really is at her witty best on late night talk shows, as another of her best moments came during an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in 2021. Her sense of humor was on full display again when Jimmy Kimmel asked the former first lady during a video link interview if she and Barack Obama, had, um, consummated the killing of Osama bin Laden, which had happened a decade earlier.
Keeping it professional, Obama responded with good humor to the deeply personal bedroom question. The star confidently retorted, "You know, I have to tell your audience that for some very sick reason you are very obsessed with this portion of that major historical event. In a way that no one else, no one, in the history of all of the conversations I've had, has anybody ever drilled down on this particular point like you, Jimmy Kimmel." But Obama wasn't quite done there. She continued to call out the comedian with a smile on her face, clapping back, "You're still that little boy in your bedroom, under the covers with the flashlight, going, 'I hope nobody sees me.'" An expert response from a super smart and ever classy lady.