Michelle Obama, who has often shared intimate details about her marriage and family life on her podcast, continues to provide listeners with personal insights, highlighting the universal experience of loss and the enduring influence of parental love and guidance.

Michelle Obama shared candid reflections about the death of her mother, Marian Robinson, during the latest episode of the “IMO” podcast, which she co-hosts with her brother Craig Robinson. Robinson passed away at the age of 86 in May 2024, leaving a lasting impact on the family.

Michelle, 61, revealed a poignant and slightly humorous exchange with her husband, Barack Obama, as they processed the loss.

“Barack was saying, you know, ‘Well, you’re next up.’ I was like, ‘I’m not really ready to be next up,’” she shared. “I told him, ‘You’re next up and Craig is next up.’ I delegate that power to you.”

“It’s a major shift in your life. I don’t care how old you get. Mom and Dad are Mom and Dad,” Michelle said. She added, “Even when I was taking care of Mom, I still gotta listen to her. I can sort of boss her around but in the end, she’s my mother.”

A brother’s perspective

Craig Robinson, 63, echoed Michelle’s feelings about their mother’s passing and the long preparation she gave her children.

“She has been preparing us for this,” Craig noted. “The listeners should know that mom’s been threatening to drop dead for 20 years. She left very direct instructions on what she wanted and how she wanted things to be. We had to take that into account.”

Filling big shoes

The siblings also reflected on the gravity of stepping into their parents’ shoes following both their mother’s and father’s deaths. Their father, Fraser C. Robinson III, passed away in 1991.

“There’s a comfort level in that, knowing that no matter how wise or experienced I am in the world, mom always knew more,” Michelle said. “It’s big shoes to fill.”