Ask any prominent podcast host for a list of dream interview guests, and it is quite likely that Michelle Obama’s name would be on it.
That is why the former first lady shouldn’t have much trouble booking whomever she likes on her new show, “IMO,” short for “in my opinion,” which she will host with her older brother, the basketball executive Craig Robinson.
The podcast was announced on Monday by Higher Ground, the media company founded in 2018 by former President Barack Obama and Mrs. Obama.
Higher Ground’s podcasts lean toward prestige cultural programming. Previous releases include a limited series about Stevie Wonder, hosted by the New York Times arts critic Wesley Morris; a celebrity interview show about meaningful family recipes, hosted by the journalist Michele Norris; and a series of conversations about American life by Mr. Obama and Bruce Springsteen.
“IMO” falls more in line with current industrywide trends in podcasting: It is a chat show being released as a video, a first for Higher Ground. (One third of podcast consumers now prefer shows with video components, according to a report in December from Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights.)
The Times was provided with the first two episodes of “IMO,” which were both about an hour long. The hosts mainly offered advice based on their life experiences, and refrained from addressing current events or politics.
In the premiere, Mr. Robinson, the executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, spoke of the contrast between the well-appointed rental where they were filming the episode and the small apartment in Chicago where they were raised and shared a bedroom. Their parents have both since passed away — their father, Fraser Robinson III, died in 1991, and their mother, Marian Robinson, who lived with the Obamas in the White House, died last May.
The siblings discussed trying times they endured, like Mr. Robinson’s divorce and Mrs. Obama’s initial reluctance to support her husband’s presidential run.
By the second episode, the show’s format becomes clearer. Mrs. Obama and Mr. Robinson are joined by a celebrity guest — the writer, actress and producer Issa Rae — who discusses a single topic, maintaining adult friendships, based on a listener’s question.
There were also lighter, more revelatory moments in both episodes. Mrs. Obama discloses that after years of Secret Service protection and restrictions, she has started driving again. She and her brother tease each other about the social differences between men and women.
Advertising partners on “IMO” include Rivian, Pine-Sol and Theraflu, with Mr. Robinson reading most of the ads.
It’s not the first time Mrs. Obama has hosted a podcast. Episodes of her previous one, originally called “The Michelle Obama Podcast,” were released in 2020, becoming Spotify’s fourth-most-popular show. A second set of episodes, released in 2023, were recorded during stops on her promotional tour for her book “The Light We Carry.”
According to Higher Ground, the “IMO” lineup will include a mix of celebrities who appeared on Mrs. Obama’s former show, like the director Tyler Perry; and new guests, like the actors Seth Rogen and Keke Palmer; and Jay Shetty and Dr. Orna Guralnik, the hosts of popular mental health podcasts.
Since 2022, Higher Ground has been producing its podcasts with Audible, which is owned by Amazon. Previously, the Obamas’ podcasts premiered exclusively on Spotify before expanding to other platforms.
The first two episodes of “IMO” will be released on Wednesday. The next day, Mrs. Obama and Mr. Robinson will record a live show at the South by Southwest culture festival in Austin, Texas.
Content Source: www.nytimes.com