-We are here with
Michelle Obama.
She has just
extended the tour
of her smash- hit book,
"Becoming,"
with 21 days
across the United States,
Canada, and Europe.
When you were --
I mean, did you expect --
Eventually, you have to write
a book, right?
-Yeah. That's sort of
along with the assignment.
"And then,
you write a book."
-But did you --
When did you start, like,
putting stories where?
"Like, I have to really, like,
start remembering things."
-It was sort of ongoing,
because I have taken
so many swerves in my life,
that I find that --
I found that I've had to
explain myself to people.
Like, when you leave your law
firm, and making a lot of money,
and you go and make no money,
people want to know,
"Well, tell me about you."
[ Laughter ]
"Why did you do that?"
And then, I have to
figure that out.
So, so many --
the early chapters of the book
are stories that I've already
kind of, you know, embraced
in understanding
my journey.
-I think we all think that
we have a great story.
-And we all do.
That's the point.
I think one of the reasons
why this book is resonating
with so many people
is because they see themselves
in my little journey.
And the eight years
in the White House
is really just
the last segment of it.
It's really
all those stories
of growing up
in the neighborhood,
and playing double-dutch,
and having your first fight,
and that teacher that, you know,
punched you in the gut
and told you something
that hurt your feelings.
I mean, all of those --
that culmination
of that journey is all of
our paths to becoming,
and it's really
what connects us, you know?
It's not stats. It's not, like,
"Where did you go to school?
What do you do
for a living?"
-Of course.
-It's really that journey.
-I mean, but it really is
a great story.
I mean, you came from
basically nothing,
and you became the First Lady
of the United States.
-Go figure.
-[ Laughs ]
-It's like a made-up story
that you would see in a movie.
Is there anything that
you left out of the book
'cause you were like,
"Eh, that's a little bit
too personal," or...
-I mean, I could have done
a whole book
on just the
White House tears,
because there's so much stuff
that happened,
just unpacking
all of that.
And of course, yeah,
that book would be 800 pages.
And then, it would take Barack,
like, 800 days...
[ Laughter ]
But I mean, you talk about
having marriage counseling...
-Absolutely.
Yeah.
-..which was --
I didn't --
We didn't know
anything about that.
-Yeah. Marriage is hard,
even for us.
We have a great
relationship.
But the thing about
marriage counseling is, like,
I was one of those wives
who thought,
"I'm taking you to marriage
counseling so you can be fixed,
Barack Obama."
Because I was like,
"I'm perfect."
[ Laughter ]
I was like,
"Dr. X, please fix him."
And...
And then, our counselor
looked over at me.
I was like, "What are you
looking at? I'm perfect."
[ Laughter ]
But marriage counseling
was a turning point for me,
understanding that
it wasn't up to my husband
to make me happy,
that I had to learn
how to fill myself,
and have to put myself higher
on my priority list.
So, I share that because there
are a lot of young people
who look at me and Barack,
and you and your wife,
and people they see,
and they think,
"Oh, I want those
#relationshipgoals."
But I want you people to know
that marriage is work.
Even the best marriages
require work.
I call them
a "vexation."
It's a choice that you make
again and again and again.
Because I don't want
young people to quit
the minute they
have a hardship.
Because I always say, "Look,
if you're married for 50 years,
and 10 of them are horrible,
you're doing really good."
-Not bad.
Not bad.
-You're doing really good.
Anybody would take
those odds.
-This is you, uh...
This is after
the Trump inauguration,
just waving from
Air Force One.
[ Laughter ]
Can you just
walk me through --
-"Bye, Felicia."
[ Laughter ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
-What was...?
Is that what was
going through your mind?
-A lot was going on
that day.
-All right.
-That was a day.
And right before that,
you know, my daughter's friends
decided they needed a sleepover
for the last day.
I was like,
"Are you guys kidding me?
We're leaving.
You've got to take all
your stuff, pick it up --
the blankets,
the bears."
They're all crying,
And I was like, "Get out.
We've got to go."
So, there was that,
and then the Tiffany's box.
It was just all,
you know, a lot.
-Yeah, it was a lot.
-Yeah.
[ Laughter ]
-A big point of the book is the
importance of being optimistic.
-Yes.
-Optimism is a very...
-Yes.
-Are you optimistic
about our country?
-I am. I am.
Because, Jimmy, everywhere I go,
I get to see young people.
And we owe young people
that optimism, that hope.
Because what's
the alternative?
And they come into
this world,
as you see with
your little girls,
with so much promise
and so much openness.
We're the ones that
shut them down.
And for the next generation
that's coming up,
the next leaders,
they need to know that
their story can be
my story.
And that -- That is
the truth of my journey.
If you live like I did --
a little working-class kid
who made her way
up through --
to becoming the First Lady
of the United States,
being a best-selling author,
traveling the world,
there is reason
for hope.
And I want everybody here
to understand that.
You know, there are dark days
in so many of our journeys,
but you know, we have to,
you know,
push that arc
towards hope.
And that's what I try to do
every day.
-You do. And it's a great book,
and a great story.
Thank you so much.
Congratulations.
Come back whenever.
Our thanks to
Michelle Obama.
The book is "Becoming."
It is a must-read.
