--- title: Barack Obama Praises Michelle Obama During Steph Curry Talk description: The former president also introduced NBA star Steph Curry as "Ayesha's husband" canonical: https://time.com/5533330/obama-curry/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-02-20T16:47:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:23:01.993Z og:title: Barack Obama Praises Michelle in Talk About 'Being a Man' og:description: He also introduced himself as "Michelle husband" og:url: https://time.com/5533330/obama-curry/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltacb24cbd26febc99/69894576457a5288dad6089a/obamacurry.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5472 og:image:height: 3078 og:image:alt: Barack Obama Attends My Brother's Keeper's Alliance First National Gathering MBK Rising! In Oakland og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Barack Obama Praises Michelle in Talk About 'Being a Man' twitter:description: He also introduced himself as "Michelle husband" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltacb24cbd26febc99/69894576457a5288dad6089a/obamacurry.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Barack Obama Manages to Work in a Michelle Obama Compliment in a Discussion About 'Being a Man' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=05e686ba-aeb3-4041-a265-bed256cd0deb&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Barack Obama Manages to Work in Michelle Obama in a Discussion About 'Being a Man' [Watch (HLS stream): Barack Obama Manages to Work in Michelle Obama in a Discussion About 'Being a Man'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/MRL7wgVy.m3u8) (1:52)  _Published 2019-02-20. Former President Barack Obama teamed up with Golden State Warrior star Stephen Curry to encourage the audience of young African-American men to focus on their own self-confidence as the path to true success in life._ by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Feb 20, 2019 4:47 PM UTC Former President Barack Obama teamed up with Golden State Warrior star Stephen Curry to encourage the audience of young African-American men to focus on their own self-confidence as the path to true success in life. by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Feb 20, 2019 4:47 PM UTC Former President [Barack Obama](http://time.com/4147665/barack-obama-drake-hotline-bling/?iid=sr-link5) teamed up with Golden State Warrior star [Stephen Curry](http://time.com/5467417/steph-curry-shoes-girls/) to encourage the audience of young African-American men to focus on their own self-confidence as the path to true success in life. On Tuesday, the very dynamic duo spoke at an event to mark the fifth anniversary of the non-profit My Brother’s Keeper Alliance in Oakland, California, which is funded in part by the Obama Foundation. Over the course of their conversation, Obama and Curry discussed the evolving role of men in society and cautioned against falling into old “stereotypes” of what being a man means. To demonstrate his point, Obama introduced himself to the audience as “Michelle’s husband,” referring to his wife of 27 years, [Michelle Obama](http://time.com/5421731/michelle-obama-white-house/). He then introduced the NBA star as “Ayesha’s husband.” The two discussed the social pressures that young men face. [_The Independent_ ](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/barack-obama-racism-masculinity-steph-curry-oakland-nba-michelle-a8787591.html)[reported](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/barack-obama-racism-masculinity-steph-curry-oakland-nba-michelle-a8787591.html) that Obama touched on inequality, saying that men can “feel we have to compensate by exaggerating stereotypical ways men are supposed to act. And that’s a trap.” He also talked about how the images of success portrayed by most hip-hop and rap stars can perpetuate damaging stereotypes. “We live in a culture where our worth is measured by how much money we have and how famous we are,” he told the audience, the [_San Francisco Chronicle_](https://www.sfchronicle.com/warriors/amp/Stephen-Curry-Barack-Obama-discuss-trials-of-13629222.php)reported. “I will tell you, at the end of the day, the thing that will give you confidence is not that. I know a lot of rich people that are all messed up.” Obama told the crowd, “If you are really confident about your financial situation, you’re probably not going to be wearing an 8-pound chain around your neck. If you’re very confident about your sexuality, you don’t have to have eight women around you twerking.” He continued: “Cause I’ve got one woman who I’m very happy with. And she’s a strong woman.” The audience couldn’t help but applaud at that. ## Transcript [00:00] If you are really confident about your financial situation, [00:05] you probably are not gonna be wearing an [00:07] eight- pound chain around your neck. [ APPLAUSE ] [00:11] Because you know, I got bank, I don't have to show you [00:15] how much I got. I feel good. If you [00:19] are very confident about your sexuality, you [00:24] don't have to have eight women around you twerking. [00:26] [ LAUGH ] [ APPLAUSE ] [ LAUGH ] [00:35] I mean, why are you Why are you all [00:40] like, you seem stressed that you gotta be acting [00:45] that way? [ applause ] Because I've got one [00:50] woman who I'm very happy with. [ applause ] Right? [00:51] And she's [00:55] a strong woman. [ APPLAUSE ] So, I [01:05] think part of the challenge we have is that because [01:08] often [01:10] times racism historically in this society sends [01:14] a message that you are less than and weak. We [01:18] feel like we've got to compensate by exaggerating [01:24] certain stereotypical ways that men are supposed to [01:27] act. And that's a trap that [01:31] we fall into, that we have to pull out of. [01:35] If you're confident by your strength. You don't need to [01:40] show me by you putting down somebody else, show [01:43] me how strong you are that you can lift somebody else [01:45] up. And treat somebody well and be respectful and. 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