Michelle Obama revealed Ellen DeGeneres questioned her push-up technique after the TV host challenged the First Lady to a physical competition.
Speaking to comedian Amy Poehler on her podcast, Michelle divulged details of her early relationship with Ellen.
‘Ellen… my first term she challenged me to a push up competition. I’m the First Lady, you know?’
‘She heard that I worked out. So I’m on her show doing push-ups and I did more push-ups than her,’ Michelle continued.
‘She still says I didn’t go down all the way. Anatomically, I don’t think I can. My arms are very long and she’s a much smaller person than me.’
The event occurred on an episode of Ellen’s popular talk show back in 2012. The show was eventually brought to a halt in 2022 due to criticisms and accusations of fostering a negative work environment.
Video of the exchange shows Ellen ask Michelle: ‘I was just wondering if you could do more push-ups than I could do.’
Michelle then said: ‘You know, it depends on how your back is. I know you’ve got these back issues.’
The First Lady went on to win with 25 push-ups.
Michelle has been quite active in public relations and marketing efforts this year. She has made appearances on various podcasts alongside her brother, Craig Robinson, to promote their own program.
During her interviews, she’s attempted to squash long-running rumors that she and her husband, former President Barack Obama, are divorcing.
Speaking briefly about her marriage, she told Poehler ‘We have a deal, Barack and I.
‘I can tease you, but you cannot tease me,’ she joked.
‘When me, Malia and Sasha are together, he doesn’t stand a chance. We mercilessly go after him. Teasing is our love language.’
Michelle said she’s looking forward to embracing the mishaps on her own podcast, comparing her work now to her role as First Lady.
‘Not trying to get things so perfect. As First Lady, the eight years, even beyond, the stakes were so high.
‘Barack and I, our team, we felt like we didn’t have room to get anything wrong.’
Last week, Michelle set the record straight after mounting speculation she and Barack were headed for divorce.
She was speaking about the former first couple’s recent public appearances during a podcast with entrepreneur and investor Steven Bartlett.
‘If I were having problems with my husband, everybody would know about it,’ she said, laughing.
Bartlett mentioned how the media had speculated about pair’s future after she skipped out on Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The host said her absence left some believing ‘there’s an issue with you and Barack, there’s a divorce coming.’
She added that she’s ‘not a martyr’ and joked about how she would address such marital strife publicly.
‘I would be problem-solving in public, like, “Let me tell you what he did,”‘ she said.
She openly admitted that maintaining a marriage can be challenging for her and her former presidential spouse. However, she emphasized that despite the difficulties, she cherishes their relationship, affectionately referring to President Obama as ‘my person,’ a term commonly used by younger generations.
