IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson

Episode: "Perform Your Truth with Jenifer Lewis"

Date: December 17, 2025
Podcast: IMO (In My Opinion)
Hosts: Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson
Guest: Jenifer Lewis ("The Mother of Black Hollywood")

Episode Overview

This lively, heartfelt episode of IMO brings the legendary actress, singer, and activist Jenifer Lewis into conversation with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson. Dubbed "the Mother of Black Hollywood," Jenifer opens up about her journey through trauma and triumph—touching on her mental health struggles, career setbacks and successes, sex addiction, and the near-fatal accident that inspired her latest one-woman show. The episode radiates with humor, wisdom, and raw honesty, offering actionable advice to listeners facing their own challenges and discrimination.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Living Authentically & Doing "The Work"

• Jenifer’s Happiness & Self-Acceptance
  • “I am happier than I have ever been in my life. I’m in my skin. I know who I am. I’m far from perfect... I just did the work. I went and took care of myself.” (Jennifer Lewis, 05:45–06:14)
• Therapy and Personal Growth
  • Jenifer shares her long journey in therapy after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in her early 30s.
  • “I went twice a week for 20 years to therapy, and it was worth every second. Oh, I just love myself.” (Jennifer Lewis, 08:58–09:14)
  • Therapy enabled her to find happiness, which she describes as wanting for herself what she gave others through laughter.

2. Overcoming Trauma: Molestation and Its Impact

• Childhood Abuse and Confrontation
  • Jenifer describes being molested as a child by a trusted community figure and confronting him in adulthood.
    • “I was like, it ain’t that kind of call, motherfucker.” (Jennifer Lewis, 24:21)
    • The trauma fueled both her sex addiction and her drive—a constant seeking for validation and comfort.
    • “In seven seconds after he touched me, he took my entire life from me… Oh, I got it back.” (Jennifer Lewis, 24:59–25:28)
• Surviving Danger with Humor and Courage
  • Jenifer tells the harrowing tale of talking a would-be assailant out of assaulting her in her youth, using her wits and performance skills to escape. (27:19–28:44)

3. Bipolar Disorder, Mania, and Sex Addiction

• The Mask of Mania and Addiction
  • Mania contributed to her confidence and leadership roles but also manifested as chaos, impulsivity, and addiction.
  • “...the arrogance, the omnipotence, the delusions of grandeur came with the mania. You're unstoppable. Bipolar disorder ain't no joke.” (Jennifer Lewis, 20:53–20:58)
  • “I had the sex addiction in my 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and early 60s. And yesterday, 20 minutes ago. You missed it.” (Jennifer Lewis, 45:59)
• Process of Healing
  • Taking medication was initially difficult—she feared losing her creative "edge." Side effects (like losing her sex drive) prompted adjustments.
    • “I needed my edge... when I took the meds, my sexual desire went away. I wasn’t having any. You're just like, we can't do this.” (Jennifer Lewis, 41:07–41:36)
  • Journaling since middle school became both her therapy and the source material for her memoirs and shows.

4. Finding and Creating Opportunities in Show Business

• Career Beginnings and Self-Belief
  • Jenifer booked her first Broadway show 11 days after graduating college, powered by unshakable self-confidence.
    • “I had no fear in me... But when that camera comes into your face, you gotta tell the truth. And I didn’t quite know what the truth was.” (Jennifer Lewis, 31:48–32:57)
• Turning Adversity Into Art
  • When traditional opportunities slowed, she wrote, produced, and performed in her own one-woman shows.
    • “The phone didn’t ring, I created something. I was always on stage, girl. Nina Simone, Lena Horne…the greats came to see me.” (Jennifer Lewis, 33:03–33:53)

5. The Fall: Near-Death and Recovery

• Accident in the Serengeti
  • During a trip to Africa, Jenifer fell ten feet from her hotel deck into a pit filled with wild animals.
  • She recounts the incident—mixing humor and horror—including hearing a lion roar nearby and a near run-in with Cape buffalo (53:47–54:10).
  • “I fell 10ft from an unsecured deck off my hotel room into a pit of wild animals. And no, Anthony Anderson, I was not drunk.” (Jennifer Lewis, 52:37–53:07)
• Survival, Surgery, and Comeback
  • She endured 12 hours of surgery, six days in ICU, and over 13 months of rehab to recover.
    • “Anybody can fall…But how do you get up? How do we get up? I couldn’t walk for 13 months, Michelle. You see I’m walking, and I got the high kick back… The bitch is back.” (Jennifer Lewis, 61:37–63:05)

6. Life Advice: Passion, Resilience, and Knowing Yourself

• Advice to Listeners—Especially Young People
  • To a 23-year-old listener from Illinois: “There’s no time for despair. Nobody stopped me or kept me from all the horrors. But I say to you, have yours, because they will make you stronger... It’s right around the corner. You gotta get up.” (Jennifer Lewis, 65:26–66:53)
  • Michelle adds: “If she can hold on to the light that she knows she has. I believe that all of us are born knowing that you’ve got that light.” (Michelle Obama, 66:59–67:31)
• The Power of Passion
  • “People say, how do you find your passion? What makes you smile? What’s making you smile at this moment? That’s your passion.” (Jennifer Lewis, 68:02–68:53)
• Knowing Thyself
  • “You have only one weapon. One weapon. Know thyself. What are you gonna do when they come to the door? There’s nowhere to run… So go in here and straighten your spine... Sit up, stand up, get up.” (Jennifer Lewis, 69:04–70:13)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Living with Mental Illness
  “I never sat down a day in my life, but I got sat down.” (Jennifer Lewis, 10:11–10:15)

• On Survivor’s Resilience
  “When you look at death in the face, if you come back, you’re different because you ain't scared no more... I wasn't scared before, but now I'm unstoppable—but with love, and with grace and gratitude." (Jennifer Lewis, 63:32–64:06)

• On Joy and Aging
  “You gotta tell your kids they can be whatever they want.” (Jennifer Lewis, 15:22–15:28) "Now Diane Carroll, Lena Horne, and Eartha Kitt, they stayed on top for ages, but their looks never quit…Because Black don’t crack?” (Jennifer Lewis, 72:12–72:23; closes episode with her signature song)

• On Her Motivation and Mother’s Love
  “Because I wanted my mother to love me, Michelle." (Jennifer Lewis, 47:38–47:41)

Timestamps for Notable Segments

• Jenifer describes her early struggles and therapy: 06:49–09:14
• Impact of bipolar disorder and addiction: 20:24–22:00
• Confronting her molester: 24:21–25:34
• Surviving a break-in in New York: 27:19–28:44
• Booking her first Broadway show and building her own career: 31:26–33:53
• Details of her fall in Africa and recovery: 51:47–54:10; 60:03–63:05
• Listener Q&A on resilience and advice to young people: 64:53–70:13
• Jenifer’s “Black Don’t Crack” song & closing banter: 72:12–74:12

Final Takeaway

This episode distills the Jennifer Lewis philosophy of living out loud—unapologetically, courageously, and with enough hard-won wisdom to fill a Broadway house. Her stories are raw, candid, and often hilarious, but always underscored by deep lessons about resilience, mental health, self-love, and the importance of never giving up on yourself or your dreams.

Michelle Obama sums up the mood:
"It's been fun. It's been heartbreaking. It has been true." (Michelle Obama, 71:03–71:10)

For those searching for strength, healing, and laughter, Jenifer Lewis delivers it all—on stage, off stage, and in every moment of her remarkable life.