Michelle Obama admits she’s “too old” for the standard dinner-and-a-movie date night with Barack Obama.
“I never could, actually. I could do dinner or a movie,” she said during a recent sitdown with People magazine. “I will fall asleep in the movie. So it’s like, 'Let’s pick one.' And I pick dinner because at least we’re together, and I’m not just sleeping on his shoulder in the movie. So, we stopped doing that, dinner and a movie, like, 30 years ago.”
The former First Lady jokingly told the outlet that her typical date nights are relatively uneventful, as she and Barack prefer low-key evenings at home rather than fancy nights out on the town.
“Date nights are pretty… you know, we’ve been married 32, 33 [years]. I always forget. Sorry, honey,” she said with a laugh. "When we’re both happy about date night, we’re at home, you know? Because we are not getting dressed. We just have a nice dinner, candles lit, music, we talk…. They’re pretty basic.
Michelle said that conversation is a big part of their one-on-one time, which is why they cut off all communication leading up to their scheduled dates.
“We don’t talk for the whole day, because we’re in the house together all day, right?” she explained. “I mean, we work from home, and if we’re not traveling, we’re together all day.
"So, when we are going to have a really special night, it’s like, 'Don’t talk to me. Save it for dinner,'" she explained.
When they do decide to venture out, the Obamas usually hit up local restaurants; however, Michelle suggested those outings weren’t ideal because they’re “a little less intimate.”
It’s no surprise that Michelle is partial to quiet evenings at home, as she and Barack have had their fair share of extravagant dinners that went heavy on pomp and circumstance. She addressed the subject in The Look, her upcoming book that explores her “lifelong journey with fashion, hair, and beauty.”
According to an excerpt shared by People, Michelle likened formal state dinners to her and Barack’s wedding. Michelle said she would use the black-tie events to keep the spark alive in her marriage.
“You’re getting all dolled up for your man," she wrote. "There was an unspoken ritual — he never knew, until I walked out, ready, what I was wearing. That’s the romance, those little moments in this crazy world, where we could look at each other and go, 'You’re cute.' Then we walk downstairs to a barrage of press, lights and cameras, and it’s like, 'Just stay in this moment. It’s really just us. This is nice.'”