Michelle Obama and Oprah to Discuss ‘The Light We Carry’ in New Netflix Special

Six months after the release of her bestselling novel, The Light We Carry, former First Lady Michelle Obama will join Oprah for a Netflix special in which the two women discuss triumphing through difficult times. “The book came from people asking for guidance,” Obama tells Oprah in a new trailer. “When you get to those low, emotional places, it’s hard to find your life.” The 80-minute special, also titled The Light We Carry, will premiere on April 25.

In the clip, Obama talks about relationships, and specifically her marriage to former President Barack Obama: “We have to be honest about real marriage and the work that it takes to build a life with another person,” she says before joking about getting the #RelationshipGoals title on her marriage, but how she was actually mad at Barack in some of the photos with that same tag.

She also discussed the process of cutting off some of her friends after her move to the White House. Oprah comments, “I remember you said, lost oxygen, couldn’t make the climb.” Obama also starts to tell a story about when she and Oprah first became friends, but it’s not in the full trailer.

“The light we carry is in all of us,” Obama says in the clip. “It’s our responsibility to share that light. Going high begets more of it. That’s why we do it.”

When Obama released her book last year, it instantly became a bestseller. “Four years ago, when I released my memoir, Becoming, I traveled across the country and around the world, meeting so many incredible people — including many of you,” she wrote in a tweet at the time, explaining why she wrote the book. “It was a little scary to share so much of my story for the first time, but I was so moved by your response. And then, the pandemic hit, leaving us isolated at home during a time of uncertainty. And like everyone else, I had a lot of questions about how to overcome anxiety and fear when it felt like the ground was moving beneath us — and I heard those questions from so many of you, too.”

“That’s when I began the writing process,” she continued. “I think of The Light We Carry as a toolbox of sorts. It’s a collection of practices and perspectives that I draw on when I need to stay balanced and confident, especially in times of anxiety and stress.”