Entertainment

Michelle Obama’s New Podcast Continues To Sputter Despite High-Profile Guests

Published

5 days ago

April 7, 2025

Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s latest foray into the world of podcasting is off to a sluggish start.

Titled IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, the show launched in early March and features the former First Lady alongside her older brother, Craig Robinson, tackling listener-submitted dilemmas with the help of high-profile guests. Despite the big names and the Obamas’ media muscle, the podcast has yet to break into the top tier of audio hits.

Produced by Higher Ground, the Obamas’ media company, IMO is pitched as a casual, advice-driven podcast where the siblings dig into topics ranging from relationships and parenting to financial planning and friendship maintenance. The tone is meant to be warm, thoughtful, and occasionally humorous—with guests like Issa Rae, Keke Palmer, and Seth and Lauren Rogen adding a dose of Hollywood energy.

Still, the numbers tell a different story. On Spotify, IMO currently ranks 34th among podcasts.

On Apple Podcasts, it fares slightly better, sitting at 21st. The YouTube numbers reveal an even steeper drop-off: while the first episode featuring Michelle and Craig reminiscing about family stories and President Obama’s decision to run for office pulled in around 335,200 views, episode two—with guest Issa Rae—drew just under 195,000 according to Fox News.

Since then, the momentum hasn’t picked up. For a show backed by the Obamas’ brand and featuring A-list guests, those metrics are underwhelming.

By contrast, Joe Rogan’s The Joe Rogan Experience, The Mel Robbins Podcast, and Amy Poehler’s Good Hang continue to dominate the charts, frequently rotating through the top three spots on both Spotify and Apple.

Chicago, Illinois USA – 08-20-2024: Democratic National Convention Chicago, United Center DNC 2024 – Day 2

Critics have pointed out that while IMO is earnest in its mission, the content can sometimes feel meandering. A review from The Times remarked that early episodes veer into long-winded territory, bogged down by stories of household chores and childhood anecdotes that lack broader appeal.

“But my admiration for the Obamas’ political virtues, great as it is, does not extend to a desire to hear about Michelle Obama’s childhood cleaning rituals,” the review read. “Sadly, cleaning rituals loom unwarrantedly large in the first episode of her new podcast, co-hosted with Robinson.”

Even Michelle Obama’s candid storytelling and tone—once hailed as a strength of her best-selling memoir and Netflix documentary—haven’t been enough to elevate IMO above the noise of an oversaturated podcast market.

The show does try to carve out a unique lane by featuring the brother-sister dynamic, which offers a peek into a more relaxed, personal version of the former First Lady. But in a media landscape dominated by punchy, provocative content, IMO’s laid-back, wholesome tone may not be what today’s podcast audiences are chasing.

Whether the podcast can build a following over time remains to be seen. But for now, Michelle Obama’s return to the mic isn’t drawing the kind of attention many expected—proving that even a former First Lady isn’t immune to the brutal competition of the podcast charts.