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Former First Lady Michelle Obama had a little fun on the latest episode of her IMO podcast—and this time, the spotlight was on Airbnb CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky.
Chesky recently made headlines for turning his own home into an Airbnb listing. Yes, his actual house. “Starting today, my home is now on Airbnb (yes, this is my actual home and I’ll be there when guests are here),” Chesky wrote in a post announcing the news. His listing boasts some charming perks: freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, a golden retriever sidekick, and enough coffee to power through your weekend. “We will work out together and train until total muscle failure (after we’ve eaten lots of cookies),” he added.
Apparently, demand is off the charts. “I had some weekends available in January, February and March, but they booked out even before I posted this,” Chesky noted. “I’ll keep opening more weekends throughout the year.”
On her podcast, Michelle Obama welcomed Chesky with open arms and a healthy dose of teasing, telling her brother and co-host Craig Robinson that she and Barack count Chesky as more than just a business visionary. “If I had a son, I would want my son to be Brian,” she said.
As she greeted him, she playfully set the tone: “I usually don’t get to talk to you in an interview format, so let’s pretend like it’s just us at dinner somewhere with me, poking you and prodding you on how life is.”
Chesky walked the Obamas—and listeners—through his Airbnb hosting routine, including cooking dinner for guests on their first night. But when he brought up his signature cookies, Michelle had a question: Why hadn’t she gotten any?
Chesky replied, naturally: she’d have to book a stay to get a taste.
From there, the conversation shifted into more flirty territory.
“I have to say, Brian, if I’m a single girl out there, and I find out that Brian Chesky is single, and I can, like, stay in his house, have you ever—”
“Here she goes,” Robinson interjected. “Right to the relationship. Brian, you don’t have to feel pressure.”
“We’ve never talked about this,” Michelle shot back.
“He just got here!” Robinson replied.
Chesky confirmed the Obamas have dabbled in some matchmaking on his behalf. “Her and her husband have tried to set me up before.”
“I’m very invested in Brian’s love life,” Michelle agreed.
So is Barack a good matchmaker? Robinson wanted to know. Chesky played it cool, saying, “It remains to be seen.”
But one thing’s clear: the former president is very into the game. “He’s provided a lot of relationship advice to me, actually,” Chesky said.
Michelle Obama’s playful back-and-forth with Brian Chesky came at a time when headlines have been buzzing with rumors about her and Barack’s marriage. But Chesky’s candid comments about the Obamas’ matchmaking efforts and relationship advice offered a glimpse at a more personal, rarely seen dynamic between the couple and their close friends.
As for the rumors? Consider them put to rest—Barack recently shared a heartfelt Mother’s Day tribute to Michelle, and she directly shut down the speculation during a recent episode of Sophia Bush‘s Work in Progress podcast. Relationship goals: still very much intact.
English (US)