Viola Davis’ Michelle Obama Look is Being Mocked Online After New Showtime Series Premieres

The long-awaited Viola Davis portal of former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama. There were some who didn’t think Davis could pull off the role because of some believe the two do not look alike. But after photos of the new Showtime project surfaced, such chatter subsides. The series, which premiered on Sunday, April 17, is being viewed by millions. And while no one is complaining about Davis’ known stellar acting skills, it’s a facial characteristic that has social media ablaze.

The series The First Lady chronicles Michelle’s devotion and work behind the scenes as her husband Barack became the first Black president in U.S. history. The ridicule is due to an apparent character choice of Davis, with many questioning why Davis purses her lips on several times in the debut episode. Michelle is known for doing such, but some find Davis doing so overkill.

Regardless, Davis has been vocal about how much she’s taken this specific project seriously. She’s stated: “You don’t want to insult them by your portrayal … As much as we feel like we know Michelle Obama — and I did everything I could to research — there are those private moments where there’s some level of creative decision-making that you have to take … There are small minutiae that I can just take creative license with and hope that I’m not insulting her with it. That’s what you have to navigate as an artist.”  Michelle also gave her approval. But not many social media users are happy.