--- title: Michelle Obama Says Barack Wears Mom Jeans Not Dad Jeans description: During a spirited game of Catchphrase, Michelle Obama revealed that she thinks that her husband wears "mom jeans" not "dad jeans." canonical: https://time.com/4632834/michelle-obama-mom-jeans/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-12T16:55:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:40:06.986Z og:title: Michelle Obama Says Barack Wears "Mom Jeans" Not "Dad Jeans" og:description: Fashion according to FLOTUS og:url: https://time.com/4632834/michelle-obama-mom-jeans/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Michelle Obama Says Barack Wears "Mom Jeans" Not "Dad Jeans" twitter:description: Fashion according to FLOTUS twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Michelle Obama Wants You to Know Her Husband's Jeans Aren't 'Dad Jeans' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=1f3340d0-39ea-44ed-b7b8-101ebc77dd8b&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=1f3340d0-39ea-44ed-b7b8-101ebc77dd8b&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=1f3340d0-39ea-44ed-b7b8-101ebc77dd8b&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Jan 12, 2017 4:55 PM UTC  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Jan 12, 2017 4:55 PM UTC [Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States](http://time.com/4631137/president-obama-farewell-speech-highlights/), is also widely acknowledged as [the dad-in-chief](http://time.com/4621362/barack-obama-best-dad-moments/), the duties of which include [making cheesy dad jokes](http://time.com/4581815/president-obama-turkey-puns-thanksgiving-pardon/), [dancing to “Hotline Bling”](http://time.com/4543490/obama-dances-to-drake-hotline-bling/) in the White House and making decidedly dated fashion decisions [like wearing his beloved dad jeans](http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/03/obama-dad-jeans-through-the-years.html). POTUS’ affinity for old school, high-waisted dad jeans has been well-documented, but according to [Michelle Obama](http://time.com/4631306/michelle-obama-barack-obama-throwback-photo/), we’ve been categorizing his denim choices all wrong for the past eight years. The First Lady appeared on _The Tonight Show_ for a spirited game of Catch Phrase with Jimmy Fallon, [Dave Chappelle](http://time.com/4568988/dave-chappelle-snl-saturday-night-live-monologue/), and Jerry Seinfeld, where she described her husband’s jeans as “mom jeans,” before being prompted to modify it to “dad jeans” with hilarious results. Watch the full clip above. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4632834/michelle-obama-mom-jeans/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4632834/michelle-obama-mom-jeans/"},"headline":"Michelle Obama Wants You to Know Her Husband's Jeans Aren't 'Dad Jeans'","datePublished":"2017-01-12T16:55:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:40:06.986Z","description":"Fashion according to FLOTUS","url":"https://time.com/4632834/michelle-obama-mom-jeans/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Entertainment","Barack Obama","Michelle Obama","jimmy fallon","The Tonight Show","Culture"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4632834/michelle-obama-mom-jeans/","name":"Michelle Obama Wants You to Know Her Husband's Jeans Aren't 'Dad Jeans'"}}]}] ```