Former First Lady Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson’s newly launched video podcast, IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson, has come under fire from Fox News, which labeled it a “flop” and “boring” shortly after its launch.
During a Wednesday night broadcast, Fox News anchor Jesse Watters speculated about Michelle Obama’s recent absence from the public eye, noting that she had skipped several high-profile events, including President Donald Trump’s inauguration and the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter.
“Turns out, Michelle has been busy working on a new podcast, and so far, it’s been a flop,” Watters said.
“The first two episodes have been up all day and only gotten a few thousand views on YouTube. Half of them are probably Primetime producers, but still,” he added.
The first two episodes—an introduction and an interview with actress Issa Rae—premiered on Wednesday. By late evening, the episodes had accumulated around 21,000 views on YouTube.
However, the show received positive ratings from thousands of listeners on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
The content featured anecdotes about Michelle’s experiences with the former president’s time-keeping habits and their daughters’ dislike of the White House turkey pardoning tradition.
“I got this husband who’s like, when it’s time to leave, it’s three o’clock, he’s getting up and going to the bathroom!” the 61-year-old former first lady said in one of the episodes that streamed on Wednesday.
“And I was like, ‘Dude, dude, like three o’clock departure means you’ve done all that,’ you know? It’s like, don’t start looking for your glasses, you know, at the three o’clock departure.” However, Michelle said that Obama has “improved over 30 years of marriage,” she added.
Fox News contributor Rachel Campos-Duffy also supported Watters’ criticism, stating: “This would’ve been such interesting stories about 15 years ago.”
“I don’t care about any of these stories; I didn’t even find them funny,” she added.
Netizens also flooded the comment section of the You Tube show with critical remarks, with one user stating, “No one is interested in Mike.”
Another commented, “Lol, no one likes Michelle,” while a third added, “Nobody cares, Michael.”
One user mocked the podcast’s concept, stating, “She made a podcast all about her? Weird.”
IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson will release new episodes weekly on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and other platforms. In each episode, Michelle will be joined by guests to answer viewers’ questions and share personal stories. The show is produced by Higher Ground, the media company founded by Michelle and former President Barack Obama in 2018.
Her previous podcast, The Michelle Obama Podcast, launched in 2020 and became a major success, described on her website as “the most successful original in Spotify history,” particularly attracting women listeners over 40.
