When Barack Obama Appeared on Jimmy Kimmel’s Show and Had to Read Mean Tweets About Himself

A while ago, Former President Barack Obama’s appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live was not your typical late-night interview. Known for his cool demeanor and sharp wit, Obama took part in one of the show’s most popular segments: reading ‘Mean Tweets.’ In this playful bit, celebrities read aloud some of the harshest, funniest, and most absurd insults hurled at them on Twitter (Now X). Obama, never one to shy away from a joke—even at his own expense—showed he could laugh along, even as the internet took aim at him.

In a 2015 episode of the show, Kimmel remarked, "From time to time, we give celebrities a chance to read some of the mean things people tweet about them, and tonight, we extended that same courtesy to our commander in chief." As the former president took his seat, the tweets began rolling in, some targeting his policies, others just poking fun at his appearance. One user wrote, "Obama's hair is looking grayer these days. Can't imagine why since he doesn't seem to be one bit worried about all that's going on," as noted by Salon.

However, Obama brushed it off and read another tweet and said, "Is there any way we could fly Obama to some golf course halfway around the world and just leave him there?" Obama, clearly amused, responded with mock enthusiasm, “I think that’s a great idea!” However, the most iconic tweet was, "A 30 rack of Coors Light is $23 now at Sun Stop. Thanks, Obama." Obama read another tweet with a chuckle and exclaimed, "How do you make Obama's eyes light up? Shine a flashlight in his ears."

As per People magazine, it was a fitting way for the president to say goodbye to his time in office, showing that he could laugh at the sometimes ridiculous criticism that comes with the job. But Obama wasn’t just funny in front of the camera. In another interview with Kimmel, the former president gave fans a glimpse of what life is like at home. He quipped, "Malia, who's sitting in the backseat with Sasha, says, 'Dad, you need an alias.' Sasha's like, 'What's an alias?' Well, it's like a fake name you use so you disguise your identity. She said, 'So it should be Johnny McJohn-John.'... She said, 'The problem is, you also have to disguise your voice because it's too distinctive. You talk really slow; you need to speed up how you talk and use a higher voice.'"

Obama’s family—wife Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia—keep him humble, teasing him about everything from his voice to his ears. He further added, "She had a whole plan, Sasha agreed to the plan. We get home, they explain the plan to Michelle, [and] Michelle says, 'Hon, the only way that Daddy is going to disguise himself is if he has surgery to pin back his ears.' Which I found somewhat offensive, but ...I'm generally the brunt of jokes at my house."