Michelle Obama has revealed she is hooked on Love Island USA, and her daughters are to blame.
The former First Lady, 62, made the confession during a conversation with actress Quinta Brunson on her Higher Ground podcast, explaining that Sasha, 25, and Malia, 27, got her watching the spicy dating series and have since fallen behind on the current season themselves.
“That’s mother-daughter time, you know. And they’re behind, they got me hooked,” Obama said.
“And I was like, ‘Have you started the next season?’ And they were like, ‘No! We’re busy!'” Her exasperated response: “You need to get some more free time!”
The admission will raise a few eyebrows, and a few smiles, given that the show is not exactly known for its intellectual rigour.
A spin-off of the British original, Love Island USA pairs up singles looking for romance amid plenty of drama, and its 13th season has already generated controversy since its recent debut.
Obama does not speak about her daughters publicly very often, but she has offered occasional glimpses into their relationship and her approach to motherhood since leaving the White House.
In a January appearance on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, she spoke candidly about a question she deliberately tries not to ask Sasha and Malia, whether they are dating anyone.
She described the impulse as understandable but potentially harmful, explaining that it sends a “subliminal message” and adds unnecessary pressure.
“But it’s like, let me not make that the first question or the second question, or a question at all,” she said, urging parents to examine the insecurities behind the question rather than passing them on to their children.
In the years since the family left the White House, both daughters have forged their own paths.
Malia graduated from Harvard and has moved into Hollywood, with her directorial debut The Heart released in 2024.
Sasha graduated from the University of Southern California in 2023. They share a mother who, it now turns out, is anxiously waiting for them to catch up on Love Island.
