Michelle Obama reveals Barack Obama had to adjust to be punctual, leave on time

Former first lady Michelle Obama revealed during her new podcast that her husband’s punctuality and ability to leave the house on time was something “he had to adjust.”

Well, Barack, you know, he had to adjust to what ‘on time’ was,” she told her brother, Craig Robinson, during their podcast, “IMO,” on Wednesday. “I’ve got this husband who’s like, when it’s time to leave — it’s 3:00 — he’s getting up and going to the bathroom. And I was like, dude, dude, 3:00 departure means you’ve done all that, you know?”

The two siblings launched their podcast on Wednesday, offering advice to listeners and sharing personal anecdotes. In response to Obama’s punctuality, Robinson quipped that Barack was “on that island time.”

“Don’t start looking for your glasses at the 3:00 departure,” the former first lady said. “But he’s improved over 30 years of marriage, but that was a ‘you must adjust.’”

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She also said her daughters know that if they’re doing anything with her, they know to be early. Obama and Robinson also discussed their experiences with their parents growing up.

“I don’t do late,” she said, as Robinson agreed and added, “not in the Robinson household.” The two also said that early meant being “on time” to them.

Robinson said their father, Fraser C. Robinson III, would be ready for family outings very early. 

“He’d keep pushing the time of departure for a family outing. It’s like, well, we’re going to leave at three, and he’s sitting there at two going, ‘well where is everybody?’” Obama added.

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During the first episode of the podcast, the former first lady also revealed that Robinson helped convince her to back Barack’s run for the presidency. 

“I mean, we knew Barack was smart and, you know, ambitious,” Obama said. “But you talked me into supporting his run, and he was smart enough to know that he needed to come to you and sell you on the idea.”

She admitted she was initially against him running, and said, “We’ve done enough crazy stuff.”

“Barack went from a state senator to a U.S. senator, and next thing you know, people were saying ‘this guy should run for president.’ And you were like ‘Uh-uh, no, not doing it,’” Robinson explained, adding that Michelle wanted a similar upbringing for her daughters that she had with her father. “Barack came to me, and he’s like, you know, ‘I can’t convince your sister to go along with this.’ And I’m like, whoa, whoa, go along with what? And he’s like, I think I’m going to run for president. And I was like, what? I wouldn’t go along with it.”

Robinson said he told Barack that he would talk to Michelle about it, and that if they got their mom, Marian Robinson, on board with the idea, Michelle might come around. Their mother, Marian, died in May 2024 at the age of 86.

“But I think the thing that pushed it over the top was I convinced you to not penalize him for being really good at what he does. And that would be like a guy who is fighting to get to the NBA, and he makes it and, because the travel is messed up, his wife says ‘no, I don’t want you to do it.’ And it just wouldn’t be fair, and I talked to you and mom at the same time, and both of you sat there reasonably mad and said I was right,” Robinson added.