(Sub)Culture

Hear ‘2 Dope Queens’ Interview Michelle Obama in Final Podcast Episode

Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson quiz the former First Lady about everything from hair to anger

November 14, 2018

Michelle Obama interviewed on the final 2 Dope Queens podcast, 2018. Chuck Kennedy

Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson announced the end of their beloved podcast 2 Dope Queens. The final episode features an intimate conversation with Michelle Obama.

“We couldn’t have dreamed up a better, more meaningful, finale,” the pair wrote in a letter posted on WNYC about the end of their podcast run. The show first debuted in April 2016 and the most recent episode aired last December. The pair had a four-episode run on HBO this February, with their live specials set to return in 2019.

Williams, Robinson and Obama had a candid, reflective conversation on the podcast’s final episode, talking about everything from hair to motherhood. Obama spoke about female anger as well her famous quote “When they go low, we go high.”

“I’m not gonna pretend like I’m not angry,” the former First Lady said about the quote. “But if I’m trying to move an issue, if my anger doesn’t work to move the issue, then it’s not helpful.” She added that her husband Barack Obama has been good at keeping himself from getting too angry.

“Brother can’t get too angry if he wants to move things forward. He doesn’t have the leeway to solve problems with anger…And that remains true for women and minorities,” she adds. “I don’t get the benefit of the doubt … Every word I uttered on the campaign trail was picked apart and it was analyzed and oftentimes incorrectly … I had to control my voice so that it wouldn’t be misinterpreted.”

The comedians also opened up the talk to funnier topics as well. When it came to choosing between brunch with Oprah or a Beyoncé concert, Obama chose brunch for the “conversation.” As for U2 vs. Billy Joel, she went with U2. “Bono is my boy,” she explains. “Bono is sweet, he’s funny. I love him. He’s hilarious. So yeah, that’s an easy one.”