In terms of making memorable, funny, and sincere television appearances, First Lady Michelle Obama gets a bipartisan vote: she’s a late night talk show guest powerhouse. Between besting Jimmy Fallon in a potato sack race and getting Jay Leno to eat his vegetables (which was apparently just as difficult an undertaking as getting children to eat their vegetables) the First Lady went joke-for-joke with Jon Stewart during her most recent visit to The Daily Show. Even Stewart himself marveled, “You did very well… I see what [President Barack Obama] sees in you.”
On hand to promote her healthy eating book American Grown, the First Lady effortlessly segued from serious chats about her husband’s decision-making process in the White House (“Really, when it comes down to it, when you’re making those judgment calls all you have is your character, your value, your vision for this country and I see him being so consistent”) to joking around with Stewart about having her kids around Unkie Joe Biden and President Obama’s high school behavior.
But it was when The Daily Show host brought up the subject of Mrs. Obama’s approval ratings being higher than her husband’s that she really proved her talk show chops. After the modest First Lady assured him she didn’t throw her approval ratings in President Obama’s face, Stewart cracked that she has the “ice cream” equivalent of ratings, to which she replied that her husband’s are like “vegetables.” A well-timed joke and a book promotion tie-in all at once? We approve. Watch both parts of the interview below:
