Michelle Obama has hit out at ‘bullies’ as she opened up about how she deals with the preconceived ideas people have of her.
The former first lady, 62, appeared on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast on Wednesday, where she spoke about the different expectations placed on women compared to men.
The mom-of-two also admitted she has to be thoughtful about the tone and delivery of her voice, sharing there has previously been a ‘strategy’ to how she presents herself, particularly when she initially became first lady.
‘You know what I found that I had to do, I had to be more thoughtful about my tone,’ she explained. ‘I didn’t agree with it, right? But I was like, “Until people get to know me, okay, let me smile a little bit. Let me make sure I smile right.”‘
Instead of being ‘angry about being called angry,’ the author and podcast host decided to refocus and be more prepared with the message she wants to share. However, she clarified that there are still issues that enrage her.
‘There’s a lot I’m angry about. And I feel justified and being angry about it,’ Obama told Cooper.
‘I’m angry about stuff,’ she declared. ‘I’m angry about injustice, unfairness. I hate bullies.’
Obama said she would advise young women who are labeled as ‘angry’ or ‘aggressive’ when they behave like their male counterparts to think about how people will react, and how they want to shape their response from that.
Michelle Obama has hit out at ‘bullies’ as she opened up about how she deals with the preconceived ideas people have of her
Obama admitted that personally, she prefers her message get across than to be ‘right’ about how she does it.
‘Especially in the world that we are in,’ she said cynically.
She then touched on how her behavior has changed since her husband, former President Barack Obama, left office.
‘So it wasn’t about me, it’s not how I feel. The responsibility of being a leader means it’s not your feelings anymore,’ she said about how she was forced to repress her own feelings during the family’s time in the White House.
‘I can have my feelings now because everything I’m doing is about me…
‘If I’m delivering something in a way that makes the message fall short on some ears, then I’m going to change it because I want people to get the message.’
In the episode, Obama also explained her comments that the US wasn’t ready for a female president.
‘It takes time but we’re moving,’ she said on the podcast. ‘We are moving in that direction.’
The former first lady, 62, appeared on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast on Wednesday, where she spoke about the different expectations placed on women compared to men
She then touched on how her behavior has changed since her husband, former President Barack Obama, left office
In November 2025, Obama addressed the audience at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where she announced that Americans, particularly men, are still not ready to elect a woman as president.
She also doesn’t believe she would be able to overcome this so-called bias among voters if she were to mount a White House run.
‘That’s why I’m like, “Don’t even look at me about running, because cause you all are lying,”‘ she said.
‘You’re not ready for a woman. You are not. So don’t waste my time.’
She declared: ‘We got a lot of growing up to do, and there are still, sadly, a lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman, and we saw it.’
