Michelle Obama’s Podcast Debuts Far From the Top on Spotify Rankings
Michelle Obama’s latest audio endeavor, a podcast co-hosted with her brother Craig Robinson, has launched to modest rankings, entering Spotify’s top podcast chart at number 34. The series, titled “IMO,” premiered its first episode just a few weeks ago.
According to Fox News, the podcast is performing somewhat better on Apple Podcasts, where it currently sits at 21st place. “IMO” officially launched in early March.
Currently topping both Spotify and Apple Podcasts are established favorites such as “The Mel Robbins Podcast,” Joe Rogan’s “The Joe Rogan Experience,” and the recently released “Good Hang” by Amy Poehler.
Obama and Robinson debuted the show on March 12 with a two-episode release. By Monday morning, the premiere episode had gathered 335,200 views, while the second installment—featuring actress Issa Rae—had been viewed 194,258 times.
The March 19 episode welcomed filmmakers Seth and Lauren Rogen as guests and drew 250,773 views on YouTube. That episode also included appearances from Keke Palmer, Dr. Laurie Santos, and former monk turned motivational speaker Jay Shetty.
On Spotify’s genre-specific charts, the podcast is currently holding the number four position in the Education category.
During the debut episode, Michelle shared a humorous anecdote about her husband, former President Barack Obama, adjusting to married life—specifically, learning to be punctual.
“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?”
She also opened up about Robinson’s influence on her decision to support Barack’s political ambitions.
“I mean, we knew Barack was smart and, you know, ambitious,” she 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.”
Reflecting on her initial hesitance toward his presidential campaign, Michelle admitted, “We’ve done enough crazy stuff.”
In a lighter moment, she joked about Barack’s early financial situation.
When Robinson asked, “Would you be attracted to a guy who’s not financially sound when you meet him?” Michelle quipped, “Uh, I married one,” referencing the DailyMail.com.
The former basketball coach then playfully admitted to setting her up for that line.
“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 laughed.
Later in the conversation, Michelle reflected on the deeper impact of her relationship with Barack.
“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 recalled.
“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,” she added.
The couple recently marked 32 years of marriage, celebrating with a heartfelt photo shared online showing them embracing during a museum visit in New York.