Michelle Obama Appears on “Parks and Recreation” To Push Her Left-Wing, Pro-Exercise Propaganda

Screenshot: NBC

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


On Thursday, First Lady Michelle Obama appeared on the season finale of NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation to meet Leslie Knope (played by Amy Poehler). Obama encourages Knope to take a new job at the National Park Service. Knope—a die-hard liberal—proceeds to freak the hell out over meeting one of her heroes. (She acted similarly when she met Vice President Joe Biden.)

The first lady also chats with Knope about how her “Let’s Move!” program has been integrated into national parks: “Getting kids outside, rock climbing, hiking,” says Obama, who previously got some help from Will Ferrell and Jimmy Fallon in promoting “Let’s Move!” and the importance of exercise. The program was developed to address the issue of childhood obesity, and has endured plenty of mockery and attacks by conservatives who see it as an affront to individual liberty, or whatever.

The Parks and Rec scene is pretty funny (click here to watch the whole episode). Here’s an abridged version of the first lady’s cameo, via Politico (you can watch the full clip here):

Other politicians Parks and Rec has previously booked for cameos include Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Newt Gingrich.

DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

Mother Jones was founded to do things differently in the aftermath of a political crisis: Watergate. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after, and go deep on, stories others don’t. And we’re a nonprofit newsroom because we knew corporations and billionaires would never fund the journalism we do. Our reporting makes a difference in policies and people’s lives changed.

And we need your support like never before to vigorously fight back against the existential threats American democracy and journalism face. We’re running behind our online fundraising targets and urgently need all hands on deck right now. We can’t afford to come up short—we have no cushion; we leave it all on the field.

Please help with a donation today if you can—even just a few bucks helps. Not ready to donate but interested in our work? Sign up for our Daily newsletter to stay well-informed—and see what makes our people-powered, not profit-driven, journalism special.

payment methods

DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

Mother Jones was founded to do things differently in the aftermath of a political crisis: Watergate. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after, and go deep on, stories others don’t. And we’re a nonprofit newsroom because we knew corporations and billionaires would never fund the journalism we do. Our reporting makes a difference in policies and people’s lives changed.

And we need your support like never before to vigorously fight back against the existential threats American democracy and journalism face. We’re running behind our online fundraising targets and urgently need all hands on deck right now. We can’t afford to come up short—we have no cushion; we leave it all on the field.

Please help with a donation today if you can—even just a few bucks helps. Not ready to donate but interested in our work? Sign up for our Daily newsletter to stay well-informed—and see what makes our people-powered, not profit-driven, journalism special.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate