Michelle Obama’s Podcast Continues to Struggle Despite Use of High-Profile Guests
Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s podcast appears to continue struggling despite having multiple high-profile guests in recent episodes.
The podcast, “IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson” launched in March. It features the former first lady and her brother, Craig Robinson, who speak about issues brought up by listeners alongside high-profile guests.
🚨OUCH: Former first lady Michelle Obama’s newly launched podcast, “IMO,” has faced declining viewership, with the latest episode failing to garner 100,000 views. pic.twitter.com/FNgt4tcLbf
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 8, 2025
Despite the Obama surname and the help of prominent guests, the podcast has struggled to become a hit.
Trending Politics described the podcast: “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.”
Despite this, the podcast has struggled to insert itself among the top ranks.
It currently ranks 34th on Spotify among podcasts.
In a little better news for the ex-first lady, the podcast ranks slightly better on Apple Podcasts, currently at 21st.
However, the same cannot be said on YouTube. Obama’s first episode on the platform garnered a little over 330,000 views. Her second episode received less than 200,000 views featuring guest Issa Rae.
In her first episode, Obama discussed how her husband, former President Barack Obama, had to “adjust” to being on time.
“Well, Barack, you know, he had to adjust to what ‘on time’ was,” she told Robinson. “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?”
In worse news, Obama’s latest podcast episode featuring Jay Shetty got less than 70,000 views despite having been posted a week ago.
In comparison, Joe Rogan’s podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” dominates all Spotify and Apple charts, followed by “The Mel Robbins Podcast” and “Amy Poehler’s Good Hang.”
The Times reviewed Obama’s podcast, giving it a meager 2/5 stars.
“Look, I love Michelle Obama. Frankly, who doesn’t love Michelle Obama? We can all agree that she’s charming, charismatic and a representative of a political family infinitely more attractive than the gang of crooks presently occupying the White House,” the review read.
“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. Sadly, cleaning rituals loom unwarrantedly large in the first episode of her new podcast, co-hosted with Robinson,” it went on.
“There is lots about how virtuous and wise their parents were. This is lovely and I’m sure they are right, but I don’t think I urgently need to be told about it,” the review continued.
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