Oprah Talks to Michelle Obama

Oprah: And how is your mother doing? I am so impressed with her. We had a conversation right before you moved, and she said she was going to make sure you all had your dinners as a family—but that she would not be at the table.

Michelle Obama: I know.

Oprah: When I asked her why, she said, "Because that's Michelle's family."

Michelle Obama: My mom has some really wise approaches to family. But there are times when we're like, "Mom, come down here."

Oprah: She originally wanted her own apartment.

Michelle Obama: And I told her, "You can live right here and never even see us if you don't want to!"

Oprah: She told me that the reason she decided to live here is that she didn't want you and the president to have to pay for her to have her own place.

Michelle Obama: Oh, that's good. We're cheap, for sure. And I bet she said so!

Oprah: But there is a lot of room here.

Michelle Obama: Plenty of room. There are many times when she drops off the kids, we hang out and talk and catch up, and then she's like, "I'm going home." And she walks upstairs.

Oprah: Like she's going across town. So she's adjusting well to living in Washington?

Michelle Obama: Yes. She's made friends, she's had visitors, she's been to the Kennedy Center more than I have. She was actually so busy one weekend that she forgot to check my schedule. Then she thought, "Well, maybe Michelle's going to need me Sunday." And I said, "Actually, yeah, the first state dinner is Sunday. But we'll get a babysitter. Don't worry." [Laughter.] Pretty soon she's going to come and say, "You know, I can't pick those kids up, I've got so much going on."

Oprah: What's it like to walk into a world where you have so many people available to handle your every need? You've gone from doing everything, managing your whole household, getting the kids off to school, picking up your own cough syrup...

Michelle Obama: Going to Target...

Oprah: Going to Target—and now you walk into this world...

Michelle Obama: Where, if you want pie, there's pie. If something breaks, it's fixed. In an hour. Look, I appreciate it.

Oprah: How many people are on the staff?

Michelle Obama: There are about 95 people who manage the residence. But I want it to feel like home, so it's important for me to get to know the people we work with, to be able to joke with them and tease them.

Next: How Malia and Sasha are adjusting to life in the White House

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