Michelle Obama says she can roast her husband, but not vice versa.Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Only one Obama gets to crack the jokes in this relationship — and it’s not the former US president.
During an appearance on Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang” podcast on Tuesday, Michelle Obama spoke about the deal she struck with her husband, Barack Obama, about making fun of each other.
“See, we have a deal, Barack and I, in our marriage, and it started very early. It’s like ‘I can tease you, but you cannot tease me,'” Obama told Poehler.
“You know, so when he does, I was like, ‘Oh, oh, oh, oh, wait a minute. What’s going on here?’ And he’s like, ‘I’m teasing you.’ I was like, ‘None of that,'” Obama said.
The former first lady joked that her husband is outnumbered at home, especially when she teams up with their two daughters.
“When me, Malia, and Sasha — all of us — are together, he doesn’t stand a chance,” Obama said. “We mercilessly go after him. So, yes, teasing is our love language, and I tell him that.”
She added that teasing was her way of showing affection — a habit she picked up from her parents, especially her mother, who loved pulling pranks on her and her brother.
“I said, ‘When I tease you, it’s like, you know, it’s like a love tap,” Obama said, recalling her words to her husband.
A 2021 study found that playfulness among couples may be the key to a long relationship. Whether sharing a laugh or playing sports together, playfulness helps create a light, easygoing dynamic, Rachel Sussman, a relationship therapist who was not part of the study, previously told Business Insider.
“Everyone needs a respite from all the heaviness going on in the world,” Sussman said.
The former US president is also known for his sharp sense of humor — he made plenty of dad jokes during his time in the office. More recently, during a speech at the Democratic National Convention last year, he made a size joke about then-GOP nominee Donald Trump that went viral.
A representative for Michelle Obama did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by BI outside regular hours.
