Michelle Obama has been open about the pressures she faced as the first Black First Lady, but according to Megyn Kelly, she’s making it all up.

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Conservative commentator Megyn Kelly is yet again talking about Black women. And this time around, she’s coming for former first lady Michelle Obama and Black women’s hair… Yup, you read that right!

Obama just released her new picture book, “The Look,” which dives deep into some of her most iconic fashion and beauty moments, we previously told you. In the book, she explains the pressures she faced as the first Black first lady in the White House with her style often being criticized.

Black women have been outspoken about harsh critiques and even the discrimination they often face because of their natural hair in the workplace. These concerns eventually led to the CROWN Act being created in 2019. But according to Kelly, Obama is exaggerating her unfair treatment, declaring that Black women don’t face struggles regarding their hair.

The conservative took to her podcast to rip into Obama’s claims. “That is bullsh*t,” Kelly said, according to the Daily Mail. “Black women can walk around with whatever hair they want. Only in Michelle Obama’s warped mind, do white people not like them, unless their hair looks like white hair.”

It’s important to note that’s not what Obama said. In fact, the former first lady told PEOPLE she often didn’t want her “hair to become a distraction” from the political work of the Obama administration. Let’s not forget, this is the same country that slammed former President Barack Obama for wearing a tan suit… But back to Kelly.

(Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)
“The nerve of this woman to pretend that Black women are the only women who have to spend a bunch of time getting their natural hair, to, quote, ‘conform to these alleged society standards,’” Kelly continued. Many people– regardless of gender, race or age– spend designated time ensuring their hair is “fit” for their professional environments, but there’s no question if Black women’s hair struggle is unlike any other group.

According to a 2023 CROWN Workplace Research study, Black women’s hair is two-and-a-half times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional compared to other ethnic groups. Obama, who served as first lady way before the CROWN Act was introduced, said this taboo pressure she experienced stayed with her throughout Barack’s two terms.

“I was mindful that I’d be subject to a different set of expectations as the first Black woman to fill this role,” she wrote in her book. “Barack and I were being portrayed as Black people who didn’t understand the ‘rules’ of the rarefied world we had found ourselves in and were not unequivocally welcomed into.”

Kelly, however, said Obama’s hair experience is not unique. “It’s not a Black thing. It’s a human thing, and it’s especially a woman thing, but she’s always reducing everything to race,” she added. “I’ve burned my hair out of high heavens with those irons, like, who is she f*****g kidding? Everything, everything is about poor boo f*****g hoo Michelle Obama. And especially when you get around the topic of race, it’s nonstop.”

Obama’s style book was released on Nov. 4, the anniversary of Barack’s 2008 election win. The book includes interviews with hair stylists and designers, who share stories about getting the former first lady ready for the biggest events of her career.