Fallon Devotes Entire Show to Michelle Obama

A 'strong, smart' woman and 'a great dancer'
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 12, 2017 4:03 AM CST

Jimmy Fallon devoted an entire episode of The Tonight Show on Wednesday to bidding farewell to First Lady Michelle Obama, whom he called "a strong, smart, independent woman, an activist, a style icon, and a great dancer." Obama was Fallon's sole guest, though Dave Chappelle and Jerry Seinfeld appeared for a game of Catchphrase. Obama even helped Fallon write his usual "thank you" notes, penning "Thank you, Barack, for proving you're not a lame duck but my very own silver fox," per the Washington Post. She was then serenaded by her favorite singer Stevie Wonder, who altered the lyrics of "My Cherie Amour," singing "My Michelle amour, you're the only one that we adore … You'll always be first lady in our lives."

There were more serious moments, too. As guests delivered emotional farewell messages to a photo of Obama during one segment, the first lady jumped out from behind a curtain, leaving a few in tears. Obama also told Fallon that the end of her husband's term has "been surprisingly emotional for all of us." She said she felt like crying when thinking "about the fact that some [kids] are afraid of the future, of what is to come. I don't want them to be afraid," but rather "embrace the future … with strength and with hope," per the New York Daily News. Obama added she would return to the White House if invited by the Trump administration, but she plans to stay involved in the initiatives she set up as first lady "as long as I live." (More Michelle Obama stories.)

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