Cleverly or shamelessly, First Lady Michelle Obama turned a “Tonight Show” comedy bit with host Jimmy Fallon and Will Ferrell into a PSA for parts of her “Let’s Move!” campaign.
The sketch from Thursday night, entitled “Ew!” stars Fallon and Ferrell as a couple of awkward, adolescent girls discussing items they find yucky. (If that sounds like a “Saturday Night Live” plot, remember that Lorne Michaels executive produces Fallon’s show.) Obama joins the duo as a guest after descending a flight of stairs, and the conversation quickly turns to matters of personal health.
“Michelle, you’re pretty strong — you could totally be in the Olympics,” Fallon’s character Sara observes after the three clutch hands in a “triple hand hug.”
“Well, thank you, Sara. I do try to exercise every day.”
“Really?” Ferrell’s character Stacy chimes in. “Because I think exercise is ew.”
“Exercise is not ew,” Obama responds. “You just have to find an activity that’s right for you. For example, I like to dance, play tennis, even do some push-ups.”
Sara is surprised and excited to learn that dancing is exercise — “as long as you keep moving around and get your heart rate up,” Obama says — so the three stand up and begin a dance party.
They’re briefly interrupted by Sara’s stepfather, and then sit down on the couch again to judge 8″ x 11″ photos of objects or people approvingly or as ew. Stacy holds up a picture of a jelly donut.
“Ew,” Obama says.
He holds up an image of potato chips two photos later.
“Ew,” Obama says again. “You know, instead of potato chips, a healthy alternative is kale chips.”
“Gross!” Sara and Stacy respond in unison. They try a kale chip, anyway, after Obama furnishes a small bowl of them.
She makes sure to tell them that they’re high in omega-3 fatty acids.
“Omega-3 fatty acids?” Sara and Stay reply together in overly distorted voices. “Never heard of them.”
The scene has a few naturally funny moments. Ferrell’s character does make out with a photo of the man himself, after all.
Watch below.
