Viola Davis Mocked Over Michelle Obama Portrayal

Since the casting announcement for the show was made back in 2019, fans were excited to see an iconic Black woman pay tribute to another iconic Black woman. But one key element of her performance caught the wrong kind of attention and distracted people too much: her pursed lips.

Related | Viola Davis Cast As Michelle Obama

People online have been making memes and jokes about the actress constantly making an exaggerated duck face throughout the show. A particular scene that's been getting a lot of attention shows her as Michelle speaking with actor OT Fagbenle's Barack Obama.

The other scene making its rounds on the internet is of Obama posing for a photoshoot, which appears to be for the reference photo used to make her official White House portrait.

Related | Viola Davis Regrets Doing 'The Help': 'The Voices Of The Maids' Weren't Heard

While there are plenty of people just laughing and making fun of the whole thing, others find Davis' acting insulting or offensive towards Michelle Obama's image. Some argue that while she is known to purse her lips from time to time, the mannerism isn't central to her being.

So far, online reviews for the show itself haven't been all that great either. There are still nine more episodes left to the Hulu series, and viewers are hoping that the duck face doesn't get progressively worse and that it doesn't stick around for the whole season.

Aside from Davis, The First Lady also stars Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt. Watch the full trailer below.

Photo via Getty