Michelle Obama and Tina Knowles Dazzle at Book Tour Kickoff: Fans Praise Their Style—and Notice Something Else
Fans couldn’t stop gushing over Tina Knowles and Michelle Obama after their stunning joint appearance at The Theater at MGM National Harbor, marking the first stop of Tina’s book tour for her memoir, Matriarch.
In an Instagram post, Michelle shared highlights from the event, where the two women sat down for an intimate conversation about Tina’s new book. The carousel featured photos of the longtime friends looking radiant and powerful.
Tina wowed in a show-stopping gown with sheer black sleeves, a sculptural black overlay, and a shimmering silver base. She wore her auburn hair in soft waves, styled to the side, and completed the look with eye-catching earrings and a sparkling diamond bracelet.
Michelle, meanwhile, kept it sleek in a perfectly tailored black suit with straight-leg pants and a double-breasted blazer. Her signature braids were pulled into a high ponytail, and she accessorized with silver rings and elegant drop earrings.
“Michelle’s tall silhouette and that tailored suit is EVERYTHING!!!” one fan commented. Another wrote, “That suit on Michelle is perfectly tailored. She looks so good! ❤️🔥”
Others couldn’t help but notice a change in Michelle’s appearance. “Michelle has lost weight but she looks so good due to her height 😍,” someone noted. But not all comments were positive. “Wondering if Mrs. Obama is okay. She’s losing so much weight,” one user wrote. Another said, “It took me a while to recognize Michelle with this weight loss.”
Still, the overwhelming sentiment was one of admiration.
“It was such a joy speaking with @MsTinaKnowles at her first book tour stop for Matriarch!” Michelle captioned a video of them dancing to “Boots on the Ground.” “Tina, thank you for your honesty, your humor, and your heart. Matriarch is more than a memoir — it’s a love letter to Black women, to our stories, to our families, and to the unshakeable strength that holds us all together.”
Singer Ledisi also made an appearance that evening, and Michelle gave her a heartfelt shoutout. She added that the full interview with Tina will be available soon on her podcast, In My Opinion, co-hosted with her brother Craig Robinson.
Tina posted several updates herself, sharing behind-the-scenes moments and expressing her joy. “To be in conversation with [Michelle], in front of a room full of love, laughter, and powerful Black women? A dream,” she wrote.
A few hours later, Tina followed up with another post: “Still walking on cloud nine! We laughed, we got emotional, we joked, we danced (She taught me a little of the dance)—but most of all, we were honest and straightforward.”
The tour continues, with upcoming stops in Los Angeles—where Keke Palmer will moderate and Jennifer Hudson will perform—New Orleans with Tamron Hall, Houston with Kelly Rowland, and Atlanta with Tyler Perry.
Matriarch: A Memoir was released on April 22, 2025, and was immediately named an Oprah’s Book Club pick. It debuted at #1 on the New York Times Best Sellers list and is currently holding strong at #9. Signed copies are available at major retailers like Barnes & Noble and independent shops like Class Bookstore.
Michelle and Tina’s appearance also comes just days after Michelle addressed recent speculation about her marriage to Barack Obama during an interview on Diary of a CEO.
When host Steven Bartlett brought up the rumors, Michelle responded with her trademark candor: “What I will say is, you know me well enough now, Steven, that if I were having problems with my husband, everybody would know about it.”
She added, “I’m not a martyr,” joking that she’d be publicly airing any real issues. Her brother Craig chimed in with a laugh: “If they were having a problem, I’d be doing a podcast with [Barack] instead.”
