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WNBA star Angel Reese appeared on Michelle Obama’s podcast earlier this week, and opened up about feeling mistreated by fans and the media with the former first lady.
At one point during the interview, Reese admitted she would rather take a fine than speak to reporters after games.
“The media has not always been great for me. And I’ll take a fine. I’ll catch a fine, especially in a WNBA. I’ll have a fine before I have to go to media and feel like my back is against the wall,” Reese said, while Obama repeatedly expressed agreement by saying “mhm,” and “yeah.”
WNBA players are required by their collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which was just signed weeks ago so players can get higher salaries, to be available to the media post-game.
Failure to adhere to these rules can lead to fines, such as a $10,000 fine for skipping required sessions.
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Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese reacts after being fouled by Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark in May as Michelle Obama speaks during the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. (Getty Images)
Obama’s brother and former college basketball player Craig Robinson, who co-hosts the podcast, told Reese during the interview that the sports media tries to “manufacture some stuff.”
“Sports is like reality TV. The media wants to manufacture some stuff. And I just want you to know that I noticed how you’ve handled yourself and it has been absolutely with aplomb,” Robinson said.
Reese later went on to say that she nowadays likes to turn her phone off when she comes home after Obama asked her how she stays sane.
“I love being able just to come home and turn my phone off and just relax,” Reese said. “I think the maturity of just understanding like social media isn’t real… years prior I would comment back at things and let things continue to bother me.”
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Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese walks on the court during the second half of a WNBA game against the Connecticut Sun at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill., on Sept. 3, 2025. (Kamil Krzaczynski/Imagn Images)
Reese went on to claim that she can’t even “go to the grocery store” anymore.
Obama previously commented on the attention surrounding Reese and her longtime rival Caitlin Clark in a podcast appearance last year.
During an August appearance on the podcast “All the Smoke with Matt Barnes & Stephen Jackson,” Obama spoke during a group discussion about the impact of the Clark-Reese drama on the WNBA’s popularity, the impact on the players’ well-beings and “hate” involved.
“I think the tough thing is the social media element to it. But that’s true across the board. I mean, we’ve talked about this on our show; it just takes a normal occurrence. These young kids today, what they have to go through, what they have to be able to withstand, because social media is such a huge part of the world,” Obama said.
“There’s the hate. But now the hate is in your room, on your phone, with you all the time. And you can’t, for whatever reason, tell these kids to turn it off, because they’re making their living that way. I mean, now they are expected to stay engaged. So, I think that makes it feel even worse. But I think, as you point out, that’s happening in sports across gender. It’s just harder not to withstand other people’s horrible, horrible opinions.”
Obama, like her brother, also previously compared ESPN to reality TV during an episode of her brother’s podcast “IMO” in July.
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Michelle Obama speaks onstage during a recording of the “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson” podcast at the 2025 SXSW Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas, on March 13, 2025. (Julia Beverly/WireImage)
“It’s all a sociological study. They think that sports is better reality TV, I’m like, ‘It’s the same thing.’ If I listen to ESPN for an hour, it’s like watching the ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta,’ you know?” Obama said. “It’s the same drama, and they’re yelling at each other, and they don’t get along, you know?”
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