CELEBRITY STYLE AND FASHION NEWSMichelle Obama 'Loved' Barack's Controversial Tan Suit Even Though He 'Got Clocked' for It: 'So Cute!'
In a new interview, Michelle Obama defended her husband's tan suit, which people dubbed as unpresidential when he wore it in 2014.
Oct. 28 2025, Updated 10:52 a.m. ET
Michelle Obama will always defend her man.
In a new interview about her time as first lady and how she's thriving nowadays, she was asked about how she handled criticism, even when it was over the silliest things.
Michelle Obama 'Loved' Barack's Tan Suit
Michelle Obama 'loved' the tan suit her husbnad wore in 2014 even though it created controversy.
When it came to the tan suit husband Barack Obama, 64, infamously wore in 2014 for a White House press conference — which critics dubbed as unpresidential —the mom-of-two, 61, laughed off the backlash.
"I loved that tan suit! When he had it on, I was like, 'Oh, my God, you look so cute,'" she recalled. "[Then] I was like, 'Oh you got clocked for that one. Welcome to my world.' That was towards the end of his presidency, so we were used to all the crazy issues that people would take with us."
Michelle Obama's First Lady Fashion Choices
The former president's tan suit was widely covered in the media at the time.
On the other hand, the Becoming author made sure to not push the envelope when she was in the White House.
"I took the role as first lady very seriously," she explained. "I was a famous person, but I wasn’t a starlet. And so that meant that the clothes could never speak louder than anything I had to say."
- Melania Trump Mocked Over 'Pilgrim'-Like Outfit She Wore to Jimmy Carter's Funeral: 'She Was Dressed for the First Thanksgiving'
- Michelle Obama Claims She's Never 'Looked at the Comments Section' Amid 'Rumors' and 'Gossip' About Her Marriage to Barack
- Michelle Obama Admits Barack 'Wasn't Financially Sound' When They Started Dating: 'I Had to Be Ready to Do Some Hard Things With Him'
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
The former first lady 'didn't pay attention' to what fashion critics thought of the outfits she wore while on the job.
Her decisions paid off, as pieces she wore instantly became bestsellers.
Michelle said she "didn’t pay attention" to the praise she received for her sense of style because she "didn’t want to go down that rabbit hole of listening to other people’s comments about my physical self, whether good or bad."
"But I liked the fact that, in hindsight, people identified with what I was wearing. Because if I wore something and it could sell out, that meant that most women could afford to buy it. And I thought that’s a good thing," the "IMO" podcast host added. "I wanted the people of America, all people of all races, of all political persuasions, to be able to connect with me."
How She Handled Critics
The mom-of-two thought people making rude comments about her appearance were hypocritical.
Michelle did face some drama of her own when people made rude comments about her bare arms.
"I took it for what it was, pure hypocrisy. I could pull up pictures of Jackie O in a second and see this fashion icon in sleeveless dresses as first lady," she spilled. "So at a point you’re like, 'Oh, this is politics. If you can’t beat them, make everybody scared of them.' That was the motto. If it wasn’t the clothes, it was 'that terrorist fist bump.' It was every word that we said. It was my husband’s tan suit."
