Former first lady Michelle Obama had a little too much fun on her podcast while chatting with actor Henry Winkler, and it didn’t take long for their conversation to drift into flirtatiously nostalgic territory.
Winkler is best known for playing Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli on the hit sitcom “Happy Days” — the leather-jacket-wearing, motorcycle-riding greaser whose effortless cool turned him into a pop-culture fixture and a crush for countless viewers.
But it was Obama’s cheeky confession about Winkler that has fans issuing playful warnings to her husband, Barack Obama — especially after a year of unconfirmed separation rumors.
On “Happy Days,” nearly every woman seemed to swoon over “The Fonz,” and the former first lady admitted she was no exception, confessing she, too, had a crush on Winkler’s leather-jacket-clad character during the Dec. 24 episode of her podcast, “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson.”
The 61-year-old podcast host admitted that his character on the show was one of her first crushes as a young girl.
“Let me tell you who The Fonz was, at least to me,” Michelle began. “First of all, sexy. Now, what did I know about sexy?”
Winkler interjected to say, “I’m sitting differently in my chair right now,” as he adjusted to Obama’s admission.
“What did I — at the age, I can’t do the math, but I was young. I was under 10, right?” she continued as she and Robinson confirmed that she was a “pre-teen” at the time the show was on the air.
“I saw on the screen the coolest, you did — you read tall. You read 6’3″, yeah,” Michelle added.
Winkler, who is 5 feet 6, added that people often thought he was much taller than he is because of the show. The actor said, “People would say, “Oh my God, I thought you were taller.”
“Think, um, an even cooler version of John Travolta,” Obama continued. “Thick, black, luscious, Italian hair. Who knew? Right?”
“I had it imported from Milan,” joked Winkler about his character’s hair.
After fans saw a clip of the podcast, several fans agreed with Obama, writing, “I am right there with you, Michelle! I am the same age as you…he was ‘sexy” even though we weren’t quite sure what it was all about!! Love this interview so much!”
“If Michelle called me sexy I’d also be sitting in my chair differently! You wouldn’t be able to tell me anything moving forward lol,” noted about Winkler’s reaction. A third fan added, “Yes to all this. And the leather coat!”
The leather jacket Michelle mentioned was one of Fonzie’s most iconic looks — so iconic that Henry Winkler donated it to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in 1980, where it’s preserved as a symbol of “Happy Days” pop-culture cool, though not always on display.
Some fans leaned into the jokes, suggesting Barack Obama might need to check Winkler — or at least borrow a page from Fonzie’s playbook. “Barack needs to bust out a leather jacket now for his lady!” one fan quipped.
Others piled on with playful warnings, with one writing, “Barack better watch out. Great interview,” while another joked, “Does Mr. Obama have to step to the Fonz?… lol jk.” One commenter took the humor even further, joking that “Barack should file for divorce ASAP.”
Obama also recalled that Winkler’s character also wore a khaki jacket, and the actor revealed why he changed his look.
Obama also recalled that Fonzie originally wore a khaki jacket, prompting Winkler to explain why the leather eventually took over. He said series creator Gary Marshall convinced ABC that it was hard to look cool — and safe — riding a motorcycle in “cloth,” leading to the iconic switch.
The change clearly stuck with Obama, who laughed as she revisited her crush, admitting, “I remember that change… it did something to me. I was like, ‘Woo!’”
In the end, the exchange played out as pure, cheeky nostalgia, with Barack’s wife openly gushing over a show character like a school girl. And while fans jokingly sounded the alarm for her husband, the moment felt less like trouble at home and more like proof that even former first ladies aren’t immune to the lasting power of a leather jacket and a well-timed “woo.”
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