Barack Obama Says Men Need Gay Friends To Teach Empathy, Be Role Models To Kids

Former President Barack Obama encouraged men to person cheery friends to thatch their boys "empathy" and beryllium domiciled models, connected nan Wednesday section of nan "IMO" podcast pinch Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson.

During his impermanent quality connected his woman and brother-in-law's podcast, nan erstwhile president discussed raising "emotionally intelligent" young men and why boys request antheral figures different than their fathers successful their lives.

Obama recalled really he enjoyed visiting Michelle astatine her location erstwhile they were making love and seeing nan assortment of antheral relatives successful her family that each demonstrated masculinity successful their ain ways.

"And that's 1 of nan things that I deliberation a batch of times boys need, is, not conscionable vulnerability to 1 guy, 1 dad, nary matter really bully nan dad. He can't beryllium everything," Obama began. "And that boy whitethorn request personification to springiness nan boy immoderate position connected nan dada right?"

Former President Barack Obama encouraged men to person cheery friends to thatch their boys "empathy," connected nan July 16 section of "IMO" pinch Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson. ("IMO" pinch Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson screenshot)

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Obama shared really 1 of his favourite professors successful college was openly cheery and would telephone him retired for "saying worldly that was ignorant" erstwhile he first started his class.

The ex-president based on that men request LGBTQ friends to exemplary kindness and empathy and to beryllium a domiciled exemplary to their ain kids, who whitethorn travel retired arsenic cheery aliases non-binary.

"You request that, to show empathy and kindness," he continued. "And by nan way, you request that personification successful your friend group, truthful that if you past person a boy who is cheery aliases non-binary aliases whatever, they person personification that they tin go, 'Okay, I'm not unsocial successful this,' right? So that, I think, is creating that community. I cognize it's corny, but that's what they need."

On nan podcast episode, Obama besides scolded progressives for leaving boys down while "rightly" trying to "level" nan playing section for girls.

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Former President Barack Obama, Craig Robinson, and erstwhile First Lady Michelle Obama connected nan "IMO" podcast connected July 16, 2025. ("IMO" Podcast / YouTube)

"I will say, arsenic quote-unquote progressives, Democrats, progressive parents, enlightened ones, we've made that correction sometimes successful position of our rhetoric, wherever it's for illustration we're perpetually talking astir it, you know, what's going connected pinch nan boys alternatively of what's correct pinch them," he stated.

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"And that's been a mistake. And I deliberation group are starting to admit that," he added.

Obama besides called it "promising" that young men are opening to recognize that location are galore different ways of being a "good, strong, successful, happy man." However, he expressed disapproval of nan younger procreation for leaving down immoderate of nan bully aspects of what nan "old models" of manhood contained, specified arsenic chivalry.

Fox News' Marc Tamasco contributed to this report.