Fans couldn’t get enough of the appearance of former First Lady Michelle Obama’s mother, Tina Knowles, at a recent event in lieu of our First Butcher first Butcher, that served as the first stop on Michelle Obama’s book tour. And Michelle took to The Theater at MGM National Harbor for a convo that supported Tina’s new memoir, Matriarch: A Memoir. That night quickly became a bit of a social media moment due to the powerful energy that the two women generated, and also because of their extraordinary looks.
But Michelle delighted fans when she posted a recent Instagram carousel with highlights from the evening, photos of her and Tina standing together in rather effortlessly chic outfits. Tina showed off an elegant black dress with sheer sleeves, a sculpted overlay, shimmering silver base all that subtly reflected the light. Her auburn hair was styled down with a part down the middle, styled statement earrings and a diamond bracelet. Michelle wears a sharp all black suit with double breasted blazer and straight leg pants, classic sophistication. She has her braids pulled into a high pony tail, with silver rings and matching earrings.
There was social media admiration. One said: “Michelle’s tall silhouette, and that tailored suit is EVERYTHING!!!” One declared: ‘That Michelle suit is perfectly tailored. Many spoke of it being great fashion, but others brought up Michelle’s apparent weight loss, with some mixed reactions of concern to compliments. “Michelle seems to have lost weight she looks good thanks to her great height 😍” another commented. Some, however, questioned whether her health was good. “One person said: It took me a while to know it’s Michelle Obama with this weight loss.”
It’s no surprise that along with the buzz, Michelle posted a video clip of herself and Tina joyfully line dancing to “Boots on the Ground,” writing that she was grateful and admiring of that moment. Seeing @MsTinaKnowles hit the road for tapings for the first time for Matriarch was so happy! It was Tina that was honest, funny and in her heart. More than a memoir, Matriarch is a love letter to Black women, our stories, our families, our strength—we all stand on it.”
But Singer Ledisi also appeared at the event, in fitting celebratory style. Michelle then mentioned that her cohost on her podcast, In My Opinion, with her brother Craig Robinson, will soon release their full conversation with Tina.
The event was a dream, she had written on Instagram, adding that she called it such because Tina did the same. In several pictures from the night, she wrote how honored she was to stand with Michelle in front of a room full of love, laughter, and Black women. As she hadn’t posted on Instagram since the night before, she was overwhelmed once again by the night’s impact when she returned a few hours later. “We all just laughed, we were emotional, we joked, we danced … the most were honest and straightforward,” she wrote. Michelle even taught her part of the dance, added she.
The Matriarch tour has far from concluded. The next time Tina will appear is in Los Angeles at the Wiltern Theater as she will be moderated by actress and singer Keke Palmer and will be sung by Jennifer Hudson. Additional stops include New Orleans with Tamron Hall, Houston with Kelly Rowland, Atlanta with Tyler Perry and further promises made of continuing celebration of community, strength, and legacy.
Although it is yet to be released, the memoir has already become a success. It became a #1 New York Times bestseller which is still in the top ten. Just recently, Oprah’s Book Club was featuring it and copies are now available at major bookstores like Barnes & Noble and Class Bookstore.
Following Michelle’s candid appearance on Diary of a CEO where she spoke publicly about speculations surrounding her marriage to Barack Obama, Michelle, and Tina’s vibrant ‘conversation’ follows. When asked if she was having problems with her husband, Michelle replied in not so many words: “If I was having any trouble with my husband, everybody would know about it.” She added that she will never be a martyr and would come out publicly on a serious issue. Joking, her brother who joined her on the interview, said that if it was a problem, she would be doing a podcast with him.
The event at MGM National harbor was not just a book tour stop, it was a moment, a celebration, a source of strength, a show of style as two powerful women came together to support stories that are significant.