Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama’s older brother, has shared the unusual parenting rule he says stopped his two sons from fighting, in a light-hearted conversation with Will Ferrell on the IMO podcast.
Robinson, the former college basketball coach who co-hosts IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson with his sister, was chatting with Ferrell on a recent episode that mixed family stories, childhood memories and plenty of laughter.
As the discussion turned to parenting and conflict at home, Ferrell spoke about how disagreements were handled in his own family. That prompted Robinson to explain what he and his wife, Kelly, tried when their two sons started clashing.
Robinson said arguments between the boys had become frequent, and admitted there had even been a physical moment at one point. But he said the dynamic changed after he and his wife came up with a consequence for any future fights.
“You guys can fight, but you have to kiss and make up on the mouth,” Robinson recalled telling his sons, adding that the unusual rule brought the fighting to a sudden halt.
Ferrell laughed at the story and told Robinson
‘that’s so good’
before asking how he had come up with it.
Robinson made clear the idea was not his own. He said the credit belonged to Kelly, who first suggested the rule.
Michelle Obama was also on hand for the exchange and quickly gave her verdict on the method, saying
‘well done.’
The moment has resonated with listeners because the logic is simple: for many children, especially siblings who are prone to bickering, an awkward consequence can be enough to make a fight seem pointless.
Robinson, 63, played professional basketball before moving into coaching, eventually leading the men’s basketball programmes at Brown University and Oregon State University.
He is also widely known as Michelle Obama’s older brother and has long been credited with helping introduce her to Barack Obama after the two met through Robinson’s connection with the future president on the basketball court.
In March 2025, Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson launched IMO, a podcast built around candid conversations about relationships, parenting, family and everyday life. Robinson has said the show gives the pair a chance to answer listener questions and share advice with a mix of warmth and humor.
The Will Ferrell appearance was one of the more playful episodes so far, with the actor also discussing his own family life and fatherhood. The episode aired as Ferrell promoted his upcoming Netflix golf series, The Hawk.
For Robinson, the story offered a reminder that sometimes the simplest parenting tricks are the ones that work best, especially if they are memorable enough to make a sibling fight feel not worth starting in the first place.