The Obamas have been the definition of family goals since moving into the White House in 2009. But even the former first family isn't immune to getting a little tired of each other’s company as we pass the six-month mark in quarantine.
While speaking virtually with Conan O’Brien for his Late Night With Conan O’Brien talk show on September 23, Michelle Obama spoke about her work as co-chair of When We All Vote, a nonprofit organization aimed at increasing voter participation. But first, she joked about the stages of quarantine that the Obama family experienced.
“There was sort of the early stages where we were all excited to be together and we were being all organized,” Michelle told Conan of spending the pandemic with Barack and their two daughters, Malia and Sasha.
“We would spend the day at the park doing our respective work - the girls were still in classes in the spring. So we would be working and then doing a little exercise, then come together in the evenings,” she continued.
“We would have these activities - we would have cocktails, and then we would work on puzzles and play games,” the former First Lady elaborated, adding that Barack taught Malia and Sasha how to play Spades. “We actually had some organized things, like we had an art exhibit day where we all went off and did like watercolor paintings and then we showed it,” Michelle said of what sounds like a pretty enviable quarantine.
“Now, Conan, this was in the early stages,” she clarified with a laugh. Conan noted that he and his family shared that same excitement for the first few months of the quarantine. “Then that went away,” he added, to which Michelle agreed.
“At first our kids got a little sick of us, which was fine ‘cause we were pretty much sick of them,” Michelle said laughing. “And so the summer started happening, and then we could be outside a little bit more. And we came to the Vineyard, where we still are, so there’s more room to roam around,” she said, presumably of the family’s home in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
“And now the kids are back in Zoom land with classes, they’re doing it remotely. And they are no longer thrilled about being with us,” Michelle said, adding that she’s even had moments of being annoyed by Barack.
“He actually spent most of the summer locked away writing the book, so he had limited time to get on my nerves,” Michelle said of Barack, whose memoir, A Promised Land, is set to be released after the presidential election in November.
“But then he sort of has gotten on my nerves because I haven’t seen him enough, so he can’t win,” she said, later joking, “We’ve managed - we’re still together, and he’s still alive. That is the perfect sign that we’re making it through."
