Michelle Obama Lifts the Lid on Childhood in ‘Tiny’ 1-Bedroom Chicago Apartment as She and Her Brother Launch New Podcast

Former first lady Michelle Obama is set to open up about her childhood in Chicago in a new podcast—revealing what life was like for her family living in a “small apartment” where she and her brother had to share a room.

Obama, 61, who is married to former President Barack Obama, will debut her new podcast, “IMO,” which she hosts alongside her sibling, Craig Robinson, on March 12.

However, after previewing the first two episodes of the lifestyle-themed show, the New York Times revealed a taste of what is to come—noting that Obama and Robinson’s childhood will feature prominently in the first installment.

“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,” the Times states.

That home is understood to have been a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment inside a home on South Euclid Avenue, which Obama shared with her brother and their parents, Marian Robinson and Fraser Robinson III.

Obama has previously revealed that the property was intended for use as a single-family residence, but was split into two dwellings—one of which was occupied by her family, while the other was used by her aunt and uncle.

The entire home was most recently sold in 1997 for $70,000. Realtor.com® estimates the property is now worth around $180,000.

Obama resided in the second-floor apartment inside the home for much of her young life, moving in when she was a toddler and leaving only when she moved in with her then-future husband.

The mother of two has previously opened up about her childhood in the home. In a 2023 appearance on the “Your Mama’s Kitchen” podcast, she noted that, while the space was “teeny tiny,” it was full of many happy memories.

“When I hear about [families] who don’t eat dinner together, I can’t envision that,” she said at the time. “You have to sit at the table. There was a process, a ritual of dinnertime. All four of us sat together, we’d say our prayer, sometimes the prayer would change, but we would always bow our heads and say a prayer.”

In her book “Becoming,” she revealed that the property was owned by her aunt and uncle, Robbie and Terry, while her parents rented the second-story space for themselves and their kids.

“My family lived in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago, in a tidy brick bungalow that belonged to Robbie and her husband, Terry,” she wrote. “My parents rented an apartment on the second floor, while Robbie and Terry lived on the first.”

It is a far cry from the lavish property portfolio that Obama now has the run of, along with her husband, which includes a home in Hawaii, one in Chicago, another in Martha’s Vineyard, and a residence in Washington, DC.

According to multiple reports, the DC home, which is in the upscale neighborhood of Kalorama Heights—where Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were based during Donald Trump‘s first presidency—still serves as the couple’s main residence, more than seven years after they purchased it in an off-market deal.

The couple is understood to have paid $8.1 million for the nine-bedroom, 8.5-bathroom residence, which previously served as the home of Joe Lockhart, former press secretary to then-President Bill Clinton.

In 2018, Obama opened up about their move into the property from the White House, joking to TV host Ellen DeGeneres that her husband had been “shortchanged” by getting the “smallest room” as his office space.

“He still talks about this,” she told DeGeneres. “He got so shortchanged on this whole deal. He doesn’t have enough closet space—sorry! He’s got the smallest room for his office.”

Should Barack require a bit more space, however, he need only venture out to one of their other homes, including their $1.65 million property in the tony Chicago neighborhood of Kenwood. The Obamas snapped up that property in 2005, before Barack entered the White House for his first term, and they are thought to still own it.

However, it’s believed that the family spends much less time in the six-bedroom residence than they do in their other homes. Yet the property remains under the watch of a round-the-clock security team.

Last, but by no means least, is the couple’s ultralavish Martha’s Vineyard retreat, which they are said to have bought for the staggering price of $11.75 million in 2019.

The seven-bedroom, 8.5-bathroom stunner came complete with its private stretch of coastline and two guest wings, as well as a swimming pool and sundeck.

As for the Hawaii home, that is located on the island of Oahu and is part of a trio of residences that was developed by the Obamas’ close friend Marty Nesbitt.

Nesbitt purchased a prime plot of waterfront land for $8.1 million in 2015 and began building a luxury compound of homes, one of which was said to have been earmarked for the Obamas.

The former president was pictured visiting the development in 2022, when construction was still underway, with images published by DailyMail.com showing him chatting with workers, while revealing that the structure was nearing completion.