Michelle Obama has candidly shared the details of her first ever trip to Hawaii with Barack – and why it was less romantic than she had anticipated.
The former First Lady, 59, shared the insight in an upcoming episode of her podcast – titled Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast – which showcases the conversations she had during her book tour for The Light We Carry.
It was when in conversation with Oprah, 69, that Michelle spoke about the tropical vacation during which she had been expecting ‘mai tais’ and ‘sunsets on the beach.’
Michelle revealed that while the holiday had not gone exactly as planned, it gave her an invaluable insight into Barack’s character.
Michelle Obama has candidly shared the details of her first ever trip to Hawaii with Barack – and why it was less romantic than she had anticipated
Michelle (pictured with her husband at the start of their relationship) revealed that while the vacation didn’t go exactly as planned, it gave her an invaluable insight into Barack’s character
It was in conversation with Oprah, 69, that Michelle spoke about the tropical vacation during which she had been expecting ‘mai tais’ and ‘sunsets on the beach’
During the conversation, Oprah prompted: ‘When you first arrived in Hawaii, you were looking for… the Hawaii on Hawaii Five-O (those of you who remember that show).’
To which, Michelle added: ‘Yes, mai tais, sunsets on the beach.’
Elaborating on the trip, she explained: ‘I was young and it was cold in Chicago. I thought, “I’m going to Hawaii with my man; it’s gonna be so romantic.”
But the reality was a little different.
‘We landed and we went straight Toot and Gramps’ apartment,’ she said, speaking of Barack’s nicknames for his maternal grandparents Madelyn and Stanley Dunham.
‘No ocean, it was a high-rise building, [we] go up to the 10th floor… then we cuddle up. What’s on the TV? 60 Minutes.
‘And they pull out some TV trays, and I think we probably had tuna sandwiches with sweet pickles.’
It might not have been what Michelle had been expecting but she soon realized that Barack, who was born in Honolulu, had been showing her what he truly values.
It has since become an annual tradition for the Obamas, along with their daughters Malia and Sasha (pictured in 2008), to spend Christmas in Hawaii
‘We landed and we went straight Toot and Gramps’ apartment,’ she said, speaking of Barack’s nicknames for his maternal grandparents Madelyn and Stanley Dunham (pictured)
She concluded: ‘Sometimes as people looking for partners, we’re looking for what we think are mai tais and sunsets. What we need is somebody who respects and loves their family and is gonna show up for them again and again.’
‘Barack valued the time that he had with his family… he was the rock. Let me just tell you, he always shows up for me and the girls.
‘That same way he is present and there when we need him, that’s what he was showing me in Hawaii when I was trying to get to the beach.’
It has since become an annual tradition for the Obamas, along with their daughters Malia, now 24, and Sasha, now 21, to spend Christmas in Hawaii.
It was announced in February that Michelle was launching an eight-part podcast with Amazon’s Audible.
It was announced in February that Michelle was launching an eight-part podcast with Amazon’s Audible
It came less than a year after Spotify declined to renew a deal with the Obamas, which was estimated to have been worth tens of millions of dollars.
Spotify wanted the Obamas to feature on podcasts more regularly than they were willing and on a continual basis.
They also wanted to retain prolonged exclusive rights to streaming them, Bloomberg reported at the time.
The Light Podcast was born out of a book tour promoting Michelle Obama’s second best-selling book, The Light We Carry, she said in a statement.
To promote the book she visited six cities and conducted interviews with personalities including Tyler Perry, Conan O’Brien, Gayle King, Hoda Kotb and David Letterman.
Conversations with those guests touched on themes like relationships, race and adapting to change.
‘Though only a few thousand people were able to attend the events live, these remarkable conversations can now be heard by everyone,’ Audible said in a previous release.
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