Barack and Michelle Obama are arguably one of the most beloved couples in the political realm.
The former US President and First Lady have set the bar high with their three-decade long marriage, but it took a ton of work and effort to get to the solid place they’re at today.
Yet believe it or not, Michelle initially refused to date Barack, and continuously turned him down during the first few months of them getting to know each other. How did Barack eventually win Michelle over?
The Former First Lady Continuously Turned Down The 44th President of The United States
When speaking to Oprah Magazine, Barack Obama got real with readers about the early days of his courtship with Michelle. According to Barack, he worked at a law firm where Michelle was assigned as his advisor/mentor. He was immediately captivated by her beauty, and formed a bond with Michelle almost instantly. “Over the next several weeks, we saw a lot of each other at work,” said Barack. “She was kind enough to take me to a few parties, and never once commented on my mismatched and decidedly unstylish wardrobe.”
He continued, saying that he kept trying to take her on a date, yet she continuously rejected him. “I asked her out. She refused. I kept asking. She kept refusing.”
“I’m your adviser,” she said. “It’s not appropriate.” Finally, I offered to quit my job, and at last she relented.” Who knew Barack was such a romantic?
Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s First Date Was a Disaster
According to Michelle Obama in her 2018 memoir titled “Becoming,” her first date with the 44th president was anything but magical. She hilariously recalls how the two suffered through the Broadway musical Les Misérables, a play which left the both of them… well, Misérables.
“I don’t know if it was my mood or whether it was just Les Misérables itself, but I spent the next hour feeling helplessly pounded by French misery,” Michelle writes. “Grunts and chains. Poverty and rape. Injustice and oppression. Millions of people around the world had fallen in love with this musical, but I squirmed in my seat, trying to rise above the inexplicable torment I felt every time the melody repeated.”
She continued, writing, “When the lights went up for intermission, I stole a glance at Barack. He was slumped down, with his right elbow on the armrest and index finger resting on his forehead, his expression unreadable.”
“What’d you think?” I said.
“He gave me a sideways look. ‘Horrible, right?’”
Barack Obama Remembers His First Date With Michelle Obama More Fondly
Following the Les Misery of the French musical, Barack and Michelle took a trip to Baskin-Robbins for a late-night ice cream run. Barack recalls the moment, explaining,
“On our first date, I treated her to the finest ice cream Baskin-Robbins had to offer, our dinner table doubling as the curb. I kissed her, and it tasted like chocolate.”
After that ice cream-flavored kiss, Barack knew he’d found the love of his life.
“We clicked right away,” said the former president. “By the end of the date, it was over…I was sold.”
And the rest is history! How cute is their love story?
- Why Michelle Obama Refused To Date Barack Obama At First - May 14, 2025
- Michelle Obama Offered The Best Marriage Advice Amid Relationship Troubles - May 14, 2025
- Kesha Blasts Ex-Boyfriend For Taylor Swift Debacle - May 11, 2025
