“Michelle Obama’s mother dies, leaves inheritance to ‘my son Michael.’”
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Satirical story about Michelle Obama’s mother is still not real
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- This claim originated on a self-described satire site. Michelle Obama’s mother, who died in May, didn’t out her daughter as a transgender woman in her will.
After the death of former first lady Michelle Obama’s mother, an old, fake news story started recirculating online.
A video shared July 20 on Instagram first shows an authentic CNN news headline about the death of Marian Robinson, Obama’s mother.
It then cuts to a fake news headline that says: "Michelle Obama’s mother dies, leaves inheritance to ‘my son Michael.’"
This Instagram post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Featured Fact-check
We previously checked this claim in 2023, when Robinson was still alive. It originated on a self-described satire website as early as 2019, and falsely reports, among other things, that Michelle Obama’s mother, Mary McGillicuddy Robinson, died and left her inheritance to her son, "Michael Robinson Obama."
Marian Robinson did have a son but his name is Craig, not Michael; he’s Michelle Obama’s brother. And we’ve fact-checked unfounded claims that the former first lady was once a man.
The Obama family and Craig Robinson’s family announced Marian Robinson’s death in a May 31 statement. It mentions no inheritance, and we could find no credible news reporting on an inheritance akin to the one described on the satire site.
We rate this claim Pants on Fire!
Our Sources
Instagram post, July 20, 2024
PolitiFact, Satirical story about Michelle Obama’s mother repackaged as real news, May 8, 2023
Obamawatcher.com, Michelle Obama’s mother dies, leaves inheritance to ‘My son Michael,’ archived Oct. 22, 2019
PolitiFact, Michelle Obama was never a man, Feb. 28, 2023
Medium, Statement on the Passing of Mrs. Marian Robinson from Barack and Michelle Obama, Craig and Kelly Robinson, and their children, May 31, 2024
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Satirical story about Michelle Obama’s mother is still not real
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