For a long time, comedian Phoebe Robinson had a near-impossible dream: to receive a holiday card from none other than the Obamas. The former 2 Dope Queens podcast host didn't necessarily have a plan for getting on that coveted list, but nevertheless the dream persisted. Then in 2018 Robinson's likelihood of a Christmas card became much, much greater — when Phoebe Robinson and Michelle Obama finally linked up.
Obama appeared on the final episode of 2 Dope Queens to discuss her memoir Becoming. Soon after, Robinson hit the road with Obama on her Becoming tour — which has now been immortalized on the Netflix documentary of the same name — to moderate a few of her events.
Robinson also appears in the documentary, where she's seen meeting with a group of young black women along with Obama during a stop on the tour. "It's cute that my wig is in that trailer shot for Netflix. You know it's like, can I put this on my IMDB page?" Robinson jokes of her cameo.
But it was after the tour that things got really exciting. "My boyfriend and I traveled for three weeks over the Christmas holiday. Then we came back and in the mail, there was a holiday card from the Obamas," Robinson tells Bustle. "I freaked out. I had him record a video of me reacting to it. I was looking busted, my weave was out."
It was a such an over-the-top, comical reaction, that even the former FLOTUS appreciated it. "I sent it to Michelle, and she started laughing. It's bizarre to be like, you know, 'I sent Michelle Obama a text and she laughed,'" Robinson continues. "But it's just really cool. As a society we're so lucky to have someone like her as a leader. She makes us want to bring out the best in ourselves. Honestly, I think that's probably will be her biggest impact."
