Michelle Obama rises above UFC fighter's slur to honour her late mother with touching tribute

Michelle Obama unveiled a touching tribute to her late mother in Chicago this week with a poignant garment.

The former first lady joined her husband and former president Barack Obama at a stakeholders event for a presidential library in Chicago, which is known as the Barack Obama Presidential Center.

Obama was very close with her mother Marian Robinson and she moved her mother into the White House to help raise her daughters, Sasha and Malia. Robinson died in May 2024 aged 86.

Obama wore a pencil skirt emblazoned with a sepia photo of her mother. She held her husband’s hand, who kissed her cheek, as they took to the stage at the event.

For the emotional occasion, Obama collaborated with her longtime stylist, Meredith Koop, and Acne Studios on a custom design that carried deep personal meaning. The focus of the look was a calf-length pencil skirt featuring a sepia-toned portrait of her mother as a young woman, a cherished image that Obama later described as her favorite portrait during remarks at the Obama Center.

The bespoke skirt drew inspiration from look 29 in Acne’s fall 2026 collection, transforming their runway concept into a heartfelt tribute.

Michelle Obama paid tribute to her mother (Photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais-Pool/Getty Images)

The couple’s joint appearance on Tuesday came just one day before Good Morning America aired their first joint TV interview in a decade.

The couple did not address the appalling commentary from UFC fighter Josh Hokit at Donald Trump’s White House birthday event last week.

The fighter took on Derrick Lewis on Sunday (14 Jun) in an event that served to mark both 250 years of American independence and the president’s 80th birthday.

Hokit, 28, knocked out his heavyweight opponent on the south lawn of the presidential residence in the third round, retaining his undefeated title.

His win was subsequently overshadowed, however, when he made a number of vile remarks against the former First Lady in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.

The former first lady attended the event with former president Barack Obama (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

Directing his remarks towards Trump, who was seen sitting on the front row, Hokit boasted: "I’m the man with the plan, the beast that’s ready to feast. You know what? F**k the speech.

"Shoutout to Trump for having the balls to put some s**t like this on.

"And if I’m gonna say anything, there’s only one person more incredible than the ‘Incredible Hok’, and that’s my Lord and saviour Jesus Christ."

Prior to calling out fellow fighter Alex Pereira, who would go head-to-head with Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight championship in the co-main event, he yelled into the microphone: "Michelle Obama is a man, am I right, America?"

Meanwhile, UFC CEO Dana White condemned the comments. According to TIME Magazine, White, 56, told one of their reporters via text that he's 'completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families', seemingly referencing Hokit's outburst.

He added: "Everyone knows my position on free speech, but I hate that kind of nonsense."