Michelle Obama Defends Spanking Kids: Former First Lady Says 'They Should Know What It Is' After Admitting to Giving 'Pops' to Daughters Malia and Sasha
Michelle Obama made a surprising revelation about her beliefs on spanking children.
July 8 2026, Published 7:55 p.m. ET
Michelle Obama made a surprising parenting confession, revealing she gave her daughters Malia and Sasha the occasional spanking as children, even though she said it "hurt" her just as much as it did them, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Obama, 62, made the revelation on her July 8 IMO podcast while chatting with guest Wanda Sykes, sharing that she got occasional swats on the behind from her own mom while growing up.
'Kids Should Know What a Spanking Is'
Michelle Obama revealed she occasionally spanked daughters Malia and Sasha as children.
"I always thought kids should know what a spanking is, because you can't threaten something they don't know, right?" Obama explained.
However, the Chicago native said her daughters quickly learned that acting up could earn them a "little pop" on the bottom, and the mere threat was enough to keep them in line.
"I had two girls, and girls are pretty bright. One little pop, and it's just like, 'Oh, that wasn't pleasant.' It wasn't pleasant for me either. It hurt me as much as it hurt them," Obama told Sykes.
Sasha and Malia Obama were still young girls when their father was elected president in 2008.
Obama went on to share how the "threat" of spanking reminded her daughters to behave and that she did "believe that every now and then" kids needed the form of punishment.
"It just became a good threat. 'Don't make me...'" she noted, about what she'd tell Malia, 28, and Sasha, 26, when they were younger. " And they were like, 'Yeah, probably that's not necessary.'"
Michelle Obama Recalled How She Was Spanked As a Child
Michelle Obama revealed her mom used to use a 'plastic jump rope' for spankings.
Obama also admitted she was on the receiving end of spankings as a child, though she insisted they were "not many."
The former lawyer said their mom used a "belt" as well as a "plastic jump rope," and recalled that her brother and podcast co-host, Craig Robinson, was on the receiving end more often than she was.
Obama and Craig clearly remembered the last time the jump rope was brought out, because it ended in hysterics, with their mother, Marian Robinson, laughing too hard to administer punishment.
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Michelle Obama Recalls Last 'Potential' Spanking Memory From Her Childhood
Michelle Obama and her brother recalled one of their last memories of a potential spanking as kids.
The former White House resident also recalled how Craig did something to her that caused their mom to get out the rope, only for him to run around their small living room in an effort to escape the disciplinary action.
"He hopped over a chair, jumped onto the couch, grabbed my stuffed Snoopy, and held it up in front of him. It was like, 'Mom, don't hit me,'" Obama recalled, adding that their mother "looked at him and started cracking up because it was ridiculous."
"She just dropped the jump rope, and that was it. That was the last potential spanking," Craig shared about the vivid childhood moment.
It didn't go over well with Obama, who cried, "What? No justice? Is this what we're doing in this household?" about her brother escaping punishment.
