Michelle Obama Walks Back on Podcast Remark—'We Don't Have to Keep That In'
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Michelle Obama appeared to walk back on a comment she made during the latest episode of her podcast, IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson.
Newsweek reached out to Obama's representative via email for comment.
The Context
Obama and her older brother, Craig Robinson, announced IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson in March. In their Instagram announcement, the siblings said they "don't have all the answers. But there will be a lot of opinions. A lot of learning. And plenty of laughs. Because we all need some moments of light right now."
The Becoming author, 61, wed former president Barack Obama, 63, in 1992, and they have two children together: daughters Malia Obama, 26, and Sasha Obama, 23.
What To Know
On Wednesday's episode of IMO, Michelle Obama and Robinson spoke with their friend and OB/GYN Dr. Sharon Malone about women's healthcare in the United States.
"There is some anecdotal data that says older sperm, more autism," Malone said. "So we should tell some people, maybe it's the old sperm, maybe it's not the vaccine that's causing the autism, you know? Why don't you look at that?"
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "studies have shown that there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing autism spectrum disorder." However, there are still many vaccines skeptics in the United States, and the recent rise in measles cases—which was once considered eradicated in the U.S.—has been linked to anti-vaccine sentiment.
"They'll never let that secret out. That may be the key behind all the defunding everything," Michelle Obama said. "Then old men can keep marrying 20-year-olds. It's like, 'I'll give you the baby you want.'"
The former first lady then turned to her podcast crew and said: "We don't have to keep that in."
Michelle Obama speaks onstage during the "IMO Live" podcast at the SXSW Conference and Festival at the Austin Convention Center on March 13, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Michelle Obama speaks onstage during the "IMO Live" podcast at the SXSW Conference and Festival at the Austin Convention Center on March 13, 2025 in Austin, Texas.Michelle Obama shared that the "frustrating thing" about protecting women's reproductive health is that "it has been reduced to a question of choice, as if that's all of what women's health is."
In the November 2024 election, Republican president Donald Trump was victorious over his Democratic rival, former vice president Kamala Harris. Ahead of the election, Michelle Obama supported Harris.
"I attempted to make the argument on the campaign trail this past election that there's just so much more at stake because so many men have no idea what women go through," the attorney said. "We haven't been researched, we haven't been considered, and it still affects the way a lot of men lawmakers, a lot of male politicians, a lot of male religious leaders think about the issue of choice, as if it's just about the fetus, the baby."
Michelle Obama explained: "Women's reproductive health is about our life. It's about this whole complicated reproductive system that the least of what it does is produce life. It's a very important thing that it does, but you only produce life if the machine that's producing it—if you want to whittle us down to a machine—if the machine is functioning in a healthy, streamlined kind of way. But there is no discussion or apparent connection between the two."
Malone added that "one of the things that is disturbing" is that the "government has gotten involved in decisions that are personal and healthcare decisions. It's not just about whether someone chooses to have a pregnancy or not, but this is a situation where a woman should have control over her body—when and if to have a baby, and to decide how that pregnancy should continue."
Trump was inaugurated in January, and in his first 100 days in office, the 78-year-old made several moves surrounding reproductive health including pardoning anti-abortion protesters and announcing mass layoffs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
What People Are Saying
IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson's YouTube page posted Malone's episode on Wednesday, and people praised the discussion in the comments.
YouTube user @runako2013 wrote: "Thank u for this! I just learned of Dr Malone! she is amazing... thank u again!"
@camillehoward6504 said: "I'm hanging on to every word and taking notes from my favorite podcast."
@BillionairesAreGods posted: "love you guys!"
@ilhuicatlamatini added: "THIS is the episode I really needed, and perfect timing too because I've just watched it and in a few hours I have my gyno appt and will be talking to my Dr about some of the things discussed here. And now that I've looked up Dr Malone and seen the women's health website/company she works with, I will be checking it out soon too! I'm grateful for this information because it's so hard finding good Drs to help with everything gyno related. Thank you Dr Malone!"
On Spotify, littlelionbeth shared: "Love this! More conversations about women's health, please!"
What Happens Next
New episodes of IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson are released on Wednesdays on platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
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