Former first lady Michelle Obama announced Monday that she is launching a podcast with her brother, Craig Robinson, featuring special guests.
“With everything going on in the world, we’re all looking for answers and people to turn to,” Obama told Deadline. “My brother Craig and I launched the ‘IMO’ podcast to create a space for people to come as they are, ask honest questions, give their opinions, and have thoughtful conversations about life. There is no single way to deal with the challenges we may be facing — whether it’s family, faith, or our personal relationships — but taking the time to open up and talk about these issues can provide hope.”
“IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson” premieres Wednesday with two episodes. On Thursday at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, Obama and Robinson will record another episode. The first episode will be an intro and the second will feature actor Issa Rae speaking about the challenges of adult friendships, according to Deadline. Throughout the series, Obama and Robinson will offer their opinions on and “candid perspectives to the everyday questions shaping our lives, relationships and the world around us,” according to Deadline.
“We grew up talking through life’s big and small questions together,” Robinson, executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, told Deadline. “And now, we’re inviting listeners into that conversation, with the hope that it sparks new ideas, new perspectives, and creates the connection we could all use right now.”
Besides Rae, the podcast will feature interviews with a wide array of guests, including clinical psychologist Dr. Orna Guralnik, actors Keke Palmer, Tyler Perry and Tracee Ellis Ross, social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt, actor Seth Rogen and his wife, Lauren Rogen, among others.
The podcast is produced by Higher Ground, the media company Obama founded in 2018 with her husband, former President Barack Obama. Michelle Obama has hosted other podcasts under Higher Ground, including “Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast” and “The Michelle Obama Podcast.”