Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s new podcast has clocked in at 34th on Spotify’s top podcast chart, just weeks after she released its first episode with her brother, Craig Robinson.
On Apple Podcasts, it ranks higher at 21, according to Fox News, which added that the podcast, titled “IMO,” was launched in early March by Michelle Obama and Robinson.
Meanwhile, top shows on both platforms include “The Mel Robbins Podcast,” Joe Rogan’s “The Joe Rogan Experience,” and Amy Poehler’s new series, “Good Hang.”
On March 12, Obama and Robinson launched their podcast venture with two episodes. As of Monday morning, the first episode has amassed 335,200 views, while the second episode—featuring guest Issa Rae—has drawn 194,258 views.
Filmmakers Seth and Lauren Rogen joined Obama and Robinson on their March 19 episode, which has garnered 250,773 views on YouTube. Other guests on that episode included Keke Palmer, Dr. Laurie Santos, and former Hindu monk Jay Shetty.
According to Spotify’s charts, Obama and Robinson’s podcast currently ranks fourth in the Education category.
In the podcast’s first episode, Obama revealed that former President Barack Obama had to “adjust” to leaving on time and improve his punctuality when he and Michelle got married.
“Well, Barack, you know, he had to adjust to what ‘on time’ was,” she told her brother. “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 former first lady revealed that Robinson encouraged her to support Barack’s presidential campaign.
“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 went on to say that she was initially against him running for the highest office in the land, adding, “We’ve done enough crazy stuff.”
Michelle also joked about Barack being “not financially sound” when they first met, following months of rumors about their relationship.
The Obamas met in 1988 when the future president took a summer job at a law firm in Chicago where Michelle was already working. The former first lady spent much of the conversation discussing the importance of having a partner with financial stability.
During a conversation with Shetty—a British author, life coach, and former monk who frequently interviews A-list celebrities on his podcast—Craig eventually asked his famous sister the question directly.
“Would you be attracted to a guy who’s not financially sound when you meet him?” Craig asked. “Uh, I married one,” Michelle responded, per the DailyMail.com.
Robinson, a former college basketball coach, laughed and confessed to his sister that he had set her up.
“Don’t you like that alley-oop I just threw you? In basketball, you just point, you don’t even have to say it,” he said.
She then turned more serious and acknowledged that her new love had empowered her to take a chance on herself.
“I left my corporate firm when I met Barack. I had somebody who was like, ‘I got your back. The risks you think you’re taking, they aren’t that crazy, and I’m here to help you,’” she said.
“That’s when I said, ‘I would rather have that in a partner than a higher income. I would rather have somebody who is ready to do some hard things with me.’ But that meant I had to be ready to do some hard things with him,” Michelle continued.
The couple celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary in October. They delighted their social media followers by sharing a photo of themselves embracing at a museum in New York.
