The 'Today' Show Thinks Anchor Tamron Hall and Michelle Obama Are the Same Person

By Elise Solé, Shine Staff | Healthy Living – Fri, Feb 28, 2014 3:54 PM EST

Tamron Hall and Michelle Obama. Actually not the same person. (photo: Getty Images)Well, this is awkward. On Friday morning,"Today" show hosts mistook a photo of their own co-anchor Tamron Hall for Michelle Obama. Anyone need more coffee? 

Hall, a black woman, presented an Instagram photo of a young woman dancing in a leotardand asked co-anchors Savannah Guthrie, Natalie Morales, Carson Daly, and Al Roker to guess her identity.

“That’s you!” one co-host squealed. Hall replied, “That’s who?” Her co-worker repeated, “That’s you!” Hmm, not quite. It was a photo (clearly depicting) Michelle Obama — you know, the first lady of the United States — taken when she was younger. The photo also bore Obama’s “FLOTUS” Twitter handle on the upper right-hand corner (and the pic was shown immediately after a segment involving the first lady). Hall gracefully laughed off the remarks, but Roker didn't look so amused. Watch the uncomfortable exchange here(which starts at 1:10).

Clearly not an intentional offense, but also not the warmest welcome for Hall, a longtime MSNBC anchor and regular "Today" show fill-in who this week, began her gig as the show's first African-American co-host ever. An equally cringe-worthy moment took place earlier this month when, during a live television interview with Samuel L. Jackson, a Los Angles entertainment reporter confused him with fellow African-American actor Laurence Fishburne. Although the reporter, Sam Rubin, apologized for his error, Jackson reamed him out during the TV interview, yelling, "I'm not Laurence Fishburne. We don't all look alike!" 

Guys, we know it’s early and mistakes happen on live television, but please try to remember: People of the same race don’t all look alike.

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