Sterling K. Brown will never forget the first time he met former first lady Michelle Obama, and he couldn’t contain his excitement when revisiting the moment on the IMO podcast. While appearing on the podcast with his wife, Ryan Michelle Bathe, Brown gave an animated story about his first encounter with Obama, which he apparently has been rubbing in his wife’s face for years.
“I did a show called ‘Army Wives’ on Lifetime, and there was, I believe, it was like a luncheon for military spouses. And you invited the cast of ‘Army Wives’ because we were on the air at the time,” said Brown.
He specifically recalled the receiving line to greet Obama, a moment the “Paradise” star likened to the viral 2014 “Key & Peele” skit that shows how Black people are when greeting President Barack Obama. While everyone went for the formal handshake, Brown made the bold choice of asking the first lady for a hug.
“[I] got up there, and I was like, ‘Can I have a hug?’ And she said, “Boy, please, come here,” he said excitedly. “Man, the first lady held me in her arms, and I felt loved and seen and appreciated.”
Smiling like it just happened, the actor also recalled his wife’s reaction to the news when he got home: “I was like, ‘Bird [his nickname for Bathe], guess who hugged me today?’ And Ryan looked at me like, ‘Are you serious?’”
“I was so mad,” Bathe interjected.
“And the more I shared, the more angry she became, and then the more I shared,” he joked. “It was one of the greatest days of my life.”
Obama, who says she remembers the day, explained that the moment stemmed from a strategy in her Joining Forces initiative to support military families.
“I remember that moment too, Sterling, I do. One of our strategies with Joining Forces, our effort to support military families, was working with Hollywood showrunners and writers to really reward and uplift shows that were shining a light on military families and also get writers to put them into scripts in ways that were normal and natural because most people don’t understand that struggle,” Obama shared. “So you, your show was one of the leading ones and we thought a lot of the military wives and moms were watching it. So we were like, this would be a fun moment. So it was really special.”
As if relieving the moment wasn’t sweet enough, Obama’s brother and co-host Craig Robinson surprised the “Army Wives” star with a photo from that day –– a surprise that literally made Brown jump out of his seat.
Watch his full reaction below:
