--- title: Michelle Obama Brings A-Game to Celebrity Dodgeball Match description: Here's what happened when Michelle Obama challenged James Corden to a Team USA vs. Team U.K. celebrity dodgeball match. canonical: https://time.com/5609050/michelle-obama-dodgeball-james-corden/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-06-18T15:07:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:59:14.123Z og:title: Michelle Obama Dominates in a Celebrity Dodgeball Match og:description: "When they go low, we also go low" og:url: https://time.com/5609050/michelle-obama-dodgeball-james-corden/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd140d3fa4af0e7cf/69894b58656a3f83e9bd7451/screen-shot-2019-06-18-at-10.58.36-am.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1394 og:image:height: 784 og:image:alt: Michelle-Obama-Dodgeball-James-Corden og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Michelle Obama Dominates in a Celebrity Dodgeball Match twitter:description: "When they go low, we also go low" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd140d3fa4af0e7cf/69894b58656a3f83e9bd7451/screen-shot-2019-06-18-at-10.58.36-am.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'When They Go Low, We Also Go Low.' You Haven't Seen Michelle Obama Until You've Seen Her Dominate in Dodgeball > 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=021000a0-e989-4bc7-8959-fa3275b8f253&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=021000a0-e989-4bc7-8959-fa3275b8f253&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=021000a0-e989-4bc7-8959-fa3275b8f253&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 [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jun 18, 2019 3:07 PM UTC  The Late, Late Show—CBS  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jun 18, 2019 3:07 PM UTC As a [former first lady](https://time.com/5421731/michelle-obama-white-house/), it’s no surprise that [Michelle Obama](https://time.com/collection-post/5567670/michelle-obama/) wasn’t about to let [James Corden](https://time.com/5534659/james-corden-calvin-klein/) get away with dissing America. After Corden took an anything-Americans-can-do-Brits-can-do-better jab at Obama, she challenged the _Late, Late Show_ host to a Team USA vs. Team U.K. dodgeball match. Obama called up an all-star, all-female team of Allison Janney, Mila Kunis, Lena Waithe, Kate Hudson and Melissa McCarthy to face off with Corden’s squad of Benedict Cumberbatch, John Bradley, Harry Styles and Reggie Watts, who he declared an honorary Brit-for-the-day. Obama then delivered one of her signature inspirational speeches to get Team USA fired up. “I want you to know that I am proud of each and every one of you. Strength is not measured on how you throw the ball, it is measured in here,” she said, patting her heart. “When they go low, we also go low, because that’s how dodgeball works.” Watch the full clip below to see which team came out on top.. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5609050/michelle-obama-dodgeball-james-corden/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5609050/michelle-obama-dodgeball-james-corden/"},"headline":"'When They Go Low, We Also Go Low.' You Haven't Seen Michelle Obama Until You've Seen Her Dominate in Dodgeball","datePublished":"2019-06-18T15:07:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:59:14.123Z","description":"Here's what happened in the Team USA vs. Team U.K. face-off","url":"https://time.com/5609050/michelle-obama-dodgeball-james-corden/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Television","Michelle Obama","TV","Late Night Television","james corden","The Late Late Show with James Corden","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd140d3fa4af0e7cf/69894b58656a3f83e9bd7451/screen-shot-2019-06-18-at-10.58.36-am.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd140d3fa4af0e7cf/69894b58656a3f83e9bd7451/screen-shot-2019-06-18-at-10.58.36-am.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Michelle-Obama-Dodgeball-James-Corden","caption":"","creditText":"The Late, Late Show—CBS","representativeOfPage":true}],"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/5609050/michelle-obama-dodgeball-james-corden/","name":"'When They Go Low, We Also Go Low.' You Haven't Seen Michelle Obama Until You've Seen Her Dominate in Dodgeball"}}]}] ```