#Barack Obama will be Michelle Obama’s first guest on new podcast

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Barack Obama joins his wife on the first episode of “The Michelle Obama Podcast.”
Spotify

Michelle Obama’s debut episode of her podcast will feature a familiar voice — Barack Obama.

The former president will join his wife on the first episode of “The Michelle Obama Podcast,” recently announced as an exclusive on Spotify. The show will be available starting July 29.

In the debut, they will have what is described as “an intimate conversation about community, the love that powers our relationships, and their life after the White House.” The show was announced last week, after the Obamas’ production company Higher Ground struck a deal with Spotify last year.

“Given everything that’s going on right now, from the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and the ongoing protests and conversations that are testing our patience — and our consciences … not to mention all the challenges we’re experiencing due to the pandemic, I think that these days, a lot of people are questioning just where and how they can fit into a community,” Michelle Obama says at the beginning of the first episode, before introducing her husband.

The Obamas then have some playful banter — mainly about their time in quarantine.

“Like most Americans, we’ve been spending a lot of time together in quarantine,” Michelle Obama says.

“You don’t seem too happy about that the way she said it, right?” her husband responds.

“It’s just a fact,” she answers. ”There wasn’t a judgment. We’ve been together …”

“I’ve been loving it,” the former president says.

“I’ve been having a great time. But we’ve had some interesting conversations … Because these are some crazy times,” she says.

Their conversation will focus on the differences in their upbringings and how they have been shaped by their communities.

The former first lady said at the time of the announcement that her hope was that the series “can be a place to explore meaningful topics together and sort through so many of the questions we’re all trying to answer in our own lives. Perhaps most of all, I hope this podcast will help listeners open up new conversations — and hard conversations — with the people who matter most to them. That’s how we can build more understanding and empathy for one another.”

The show also announced the guests and topics for upcoming episodes. Episode 2 will focus on self in the time of COVID with Michelle Norris; Episode 3, women’s health with Dr. Sharon Malone; Episode 4, siblings with Craig Robinson; Episode 5, girlfriends, with Malone, Kelly Dibble and Denielle Pemberton-Heard; Episode 6, marriage with Conan O’Brien; Episode 7, mentorship with Valerie Jarrett; Episode 8, mentees with Chynna Clayton, Yene Damtew and Kristin Jones; Episode 9, kids with Mrs. Robinson and Craig Robinson.

The show will be available here.