First lady Michelle Obama continued her farewell tour on the Tonight Show last night, where she confirmed it's been very hard for the Obamas to say good-bye too. "I feel like crying right now," she confessed. "And I didn't think that it was going to be that emotional. Because it's like we're ready. We're good. It's been eight years, eight years is enough."
She later shared the words of comfort she gave her daughter Malia—who, like much of America, was crying during President Obama's farewell address. "Oh, yeah, she looked over at me. She says, 'I can't believe it. I'm going to cry through the whole speech,' and I was like, 'Okay. That's okay! That's all right!'"
As for where Sasha was during the speech, FLOTUS solved the mystery once and for all with a touch of humor: "She had a final, and you know the Obamas, girl. Sorry. You're going to take your test. You can say good-bye later."
But Michelle's most moving moment in her interview was when she explained why she teared up during her own last White House address last week. It became a another pep talk for everyone:
Talking about kids, talking about the future. I mean, kids are my heart. You know, when I think about the fact that some of them are afraid of what's to come, you know, I really, what I said, I don't want them to be afraid. I want them to embrace the future and know that the world is getting better. We have bumps in the road; we have ups and downs; but I want our kids to move forward—I don't care where they come from—with strength and with hope.
Mrs. Obama also cleared up her plans post–White House (this isn't the last you'll see of her), sent her mother a beautiful thank-you, and explained the story behind a couple of iconic White House photos:
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she's not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
