PoliticsMichelle Obama Jokes Men Would Turn Childbirth Into an 'Olympic Sport' and Want Trophies for Enduring Labor Without Medication
Michelle Obama joked that men would turn childbirth into a competitive 'Birth Olympics' if they could experience labor.
Oct. 1 2026, Published 3:09 p.m. ET
Michelle Obama joked that if men could get pregnant, they would turn childbirth into an "Olympic sport," complete with trophies for enduring labor without medication.
During an episode of her "IMO" podcast alongside actress Sharon Stone, the former First Lady lightheartedly imagined how men would handle the physical demands of pregnancy and labor.
She joked that men would film themselves going into labor to celebrate and "honor their pain" in the “Birth Olympics.”
Michelle Obama and Sharon Stone joked about men receiving praise and bonuses for enduring childbirth without an epidural.
She humorously said that they would hand out awards for skipping an epidural, mimicking a celebration like, "Well done, dude. Bob, you really did that without an epidural.”
Stone added to the joke, saying that under that scenario, "Paternity leave would be when you got the bonus," to which Obama agreed.
The humorous exchange came up during a broader, more serious conversation on the former FLOTUS' Instagram page and podcast about women’s reproductive health and the societal pressures surrounding motherhood.
Sharon Stone Recalls Teenage Abortion
Sharon Stone opened up about having an abortion as a teenager and the lack of reproductive health knowledge she had at the time.
The joke about male pregnancy actually stemmed from a serious conversation about reproductive healthcare. Stone opened up about getting an abortion as a teenager in Pennsylvania, revealing how little she knew about her own body at the time.
Stone recalled that neither she nor her boyfriend had any concept of birth control. She didn't even realize she was pregnant until her boyfriend pointed out she had gained weight, which her parents mistakenly laughed off as the "freshman 15."
Because she couldn't secure an appointment in Pennsylvania, she had to travel secretly to Ohio for the procedure. She described the terrifying isolation of returning home and bleeding for days in her room with no one to tell.
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Sharon Stone Criticizes Reproductive Restrictions
Sharon Stone criticized restrictions on reproductive healthcare while recalling the importance of sex education and access to care.
Planned Parenthood eventually opened a clinic near her hometown, which provided the s-- education and resources she desperately needed.
Frustrated by modern rollbacks on reproductive freedom, Stone stated, “If men got pregnant, you could get an abortion from a vending machine.”
She blasted the legal system's direction, saying, “Now we don't wanna give women care, OB-GYN care, and we wanna prosecute women for having a miscarriage. What kind of arcane bulls--- is this?”
Michelle Obama and Sharon Stone Address Gaps
Michelle Obama and Sharon Stone discussed longstanding gaps in women's healthcare and medical research.
Both Obama and Stone targeted the historical imbalance in how medical science treats men versus women. Stone expressed indignation over how little girls are taught about menstruation or how to use tampons, while Obama called the institutional gaps in women's medical research "astonishing.
Obama expressed frustration and heartbreak over the historical neglect and lack of research regarding women's health. She criticized a system that has long dismissed women's bodies as too complicated to study and urged a healthcare approach that focuses on and includes women.
