Misleading Video Clip Sparks Renewed False Claims About Michelle Obama's Gender
A selectively edited video clip from Michelle Obama's podcast has gone viral online, falsely suggesting the former First Lady referred to herself as a man. This misleading snippet, taken out of context, is being used to reignite baseless and long-discredited conspiracy theories concerning her gender identity.
The viral clip originates from the April 23 episode of 'IMO With Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson'. In the segment, Obama says, “That warms my heart, particularly as a Black man.” Conservative commentator Paul Szypula shared this isolated quote on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on April 30, adding the comment, “Interpret as you wish.”
However, listening to the full context of the podcast episode reveals a different story. Obama was not speaking about herself but was actually addressing a male guest, Marlon Wayans, discussing his experience raising a transgender child. The conversation explored the perceptions and challenges faced by Black men and women in public life. At no point did Michelle Obama identify herself as a man.
Despite the clear context in the original recording, the edited clip has been widely circulated and misinterpreted, with some social media users incorrectly labelling it a "slip up."
Fact-Checks Clarify Context
The spread of misinformation prompted clarifications:
- Community notes added to the video post on X explicitly state: “The caption misrepresents Michelle Obama's words. She is asking her podcast guest Marlon Wayans about his transgender child. An accurate transcript would start a 2nd sentence after 'heart.' 'That warms my heart. Particularly as a black man, would you care to share...'”
- The fact-checking website Snopes has addressed and debunked similar false claims about Michelle Obama being transgender on multiple occasions. These unfounded theories occasionally resurface, as seen in February 2025 when Errol Musk, Elon Musk's father, repeated the conspiracy on a podcast.
This incident highlights how easily audio and video content can be manipulated and taken out of context to spread false narratives online, particularly targeting high-profile figures.
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