Michelle Obama speaks out on Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese 'hate'

Fox News host Brian Kilmeade weighs in on the treatment Caitlin Clark has received since she entered the WNBA and how the league has handled it on 'The Big Weekend Show.'

Former first lady Michelle Obama weighed in on the WNBA rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese for the first time. 

During an appearance on the podcast "All the Smoke with Matt Barnes & Stephen Jackson," Obama spoke during a group discussion about the impact of the Clark-Reese drama on the WNBA's popularity, the impact on the players' well-beings and "hate" involved.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Angel Reese, #5 of the Chicago Sky, and Caitlin Clark, #22 of the Indiana Fever, look on during the second half against the Chicago Sky on June 23, 2024, at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. (Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

"I think the tough thing is the social media element to it. But that's true across the board. I mean, we've talked about this on our show; it just takes a normal occurrence. These young kids today, what they have to go through, what they have to be able to withstand, because social media is such a huge part of the world," Obama said. 

"There's the hate. But now the hate is in your room, on your phone, with you all the time. And you can't, for whatever reason, tell these kids to turn it off, because they're making their living that way. I mean, now they are expected to stay engaged. So, I think that makes it feel even worse. But I think, as you point out, that's happening in sports across gender. It's just harder not to withstand other people's horrible, horrible opinions." 

ANGEL REESE JOKINGLY BLAMES TEAMMATE OF CAITLIN CLARK, SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM FOR SEX TOY FIASCO: 'GETTING WEIRD'

Former