Michelle Obama Reveals She Recently Got 10 Piercings ‘in 1 Sitting’

Michelle Obama is sporting a new look.

On the Wednesday, Feb. 11 episode of her IMO podcast, the former first lady shared that she recently got 10 new ear piercings “in one sitting.”

She was chatting with her brother and co-host, Craig Robinson, about what they’ve learned about each other since starting the show. Robinson joked that she tried to get her ears pierced without him noticing, pointing out the new jewelry. Michelle shot back that he hadn’t noticed at first, and the siblings teased each other before she explained why she decided to do it.

“I have always thought about getting some extra piercings in my ear and just never got around to it,” she said, adding that she had a second piercing from years ago but stopped wearing an earring in it.

These days, she said, younger people in her life have inspired her to try something new. She described seeing more curated “clusters” of earrings—like a “constellation”—and decided to go for it.

Robinson asked how many piercings she ended up getting. Michelle said she originally planned to get just a few, but while she was there, she kept choosing more placement spots.

“So in one sitting, I’ve got 10 piercings,” she said. Robinson winced in response, but Michelle reassured him it “wasn’t bad at all.”

The conversation turned playful again as they joked about how long it took her husband to notice. Michelle said he needed a few days to realize anything was different, even though they see each other every day. She added that it took him three days to spot the new piercings—something Robinson said he noticed first.

In a separate conversation last fall, Michelle reflected on how much attention her appearance received while she was in the White House. She said she now feels freer to wear what she wants, including braids—both because they’re practical and because they fit her life when she’s not in the spotlight.

She also explained that earlier on, she worried that certain hairstyle choices could become a distraction, especially at a time when protections against hair-based discrimination were not as widespread.