--- title: Michelle Obama on Leaving the White House: 'Bye, Felicia' description: Michelle Obama said on the Tonight Show that she was thinking "Bye, Felicia" when she left the White House for the last time in 2016. canonical: https://time.com/5483843/michelle-obama-bye-felicia/ author: Jamie Ducharme article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-12-19T13:54:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:56:31.508Z og:title: Michelle Obama Sums Up Her Thoughts After Trump's Inauguration: 'Bye, Felicia' og:description: She dropped by the Tonight Show on Tuesday og:url: https://time.com/5483843/michelle-obama-bye-felicia/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1ca79310f7f9f7e7/698941dd97cdff9e2f6b7051/michelle-obama.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Michelle Obama og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Michelle Obama Sums Up Her Thoughts After Trump's Inauguration: 'Bye, Felicia' twitter:description: She dropped by the Tonight Show on Tuesday twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1ca79310f7f9f7e7/698941dd97cdff9e2f6b7051/michelle-obama.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Michelle Obama Sums Up Her Thoughts After Trump's Inauguration: 'Bye, Felicia'  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Dec 19, 2018 1:54 PM UTC  Former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, talks to patients at Children's Hospital Colorado ahead of her book signing event later in the day at the Tattered Cover and tour event later in the evening at the Pepsi Center December 13, 2018. Former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, talks to patients at Children's Hospital Colorado ahead of her book signing event later in the day at the Tattered Cover and tour event later in the evening at the Pepsi Center December 13, 2018.Andy Cross—Denver Post via Getty Images  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Dec 19, 2018 1:54 PM UTC Michelle Obama had some choice thoughts about the end of her time in the White House: “[Bye, Felicia](http://time.com/3824859/ice-cube-bye-felicia/).” The former First Lady dropped by _The Tonight Show_ on Tuesday to discuss her bestselling memoir, [_Becoming_](http://time.com/5457854/michelle-obama-becoming-review/). During her conversation with host Jimmy Fallon, the comedian brought up the image of Barack and Michelle Obama waving from the steps of an airplane after President Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2017, officially saying goodbye to their White House years. “Can you just walk me through…” Fallon starts, apparently about to ask what the couple was thinking in that moment. Obama immediately interrupts with, “[Bye, Felicia](http://time.com/5064517/robin-roberts-bye-felicia-omarosa/),” prompting Fallon to burst out laughing. After calming down, he asks, “Is that what was going through your mind?” “A lot was going on that day,” Obama responds. During the interview, Obama also discussed her childhood, her husband’s chronic lateness, her ongoing book tour and her optimism for the country’s future. 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