Michelle Obama Reveals Her Favorite 'Real Housewives' Moment —and Her Strong Advice for New Viewers

Former First Lady Michelle Obama has some clear advice for anyone new to the Real Housewives universe — don't jump into a new franchise right away.

"Don't start with a new one... because it takes some time for relationships to cultivate," Obama said while discussing the shows on her IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson podcast.

Instead, she recommends immersing yourself in a classic installment like The Real Housewives of New Jersey , specifically the iconic Season 1 table flip by Teresa Giudice.

"But of course, Teresa Giudice's table flip, you know, prostitution whore, you know," Obama recounted. "Prostitution whore! She flipped the table." She added, "It was at a nice dinner. There were wine and tablecloths."

While Obama said she watches multiple versions of the franchise, she noted that New Jersey has faced recent tension behind the scenes.

"New Jersey is going through some stuff right now. Because it wasn't even clear that they were going to film together. Well, because Teresa Giudice and her brother Joe are central, but they haven't been getting along. And it got ugly."

Obama added that she believes the show is currently in production .

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"It's a good one because the Jersey folks don't play," she said. "So there are a couple of ones from Teresa, who was one of the housewives that actually went to jail."

Demonstrating her deep knowledge of Housewives history, Obama explained that Teresa and her first husband Joe, served prison sentences for tax fraud and that Joe was later deported to Italy because he was not an American citizen.

"And then when she got out and then she came back on the show ... that's a journey," Obama said.

For viewers interested in starting the series, Obama suggested jumping in around the period when Teresa went to jail.

"But Teresa's a pill. And there was one time in the reunion when she like almost knocked out Andy Cohen ," she recalled of a chaotic reunion moment involving host Andy Cohen. "She was going after another housewife and he was trying to stop her. This is the host. She takes one arm and just pushes him out of weight. These are little ladies, but she's strong."

This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.