Written by: Jordan Hill

President Obama and First Lady Michelle have been surprising people lately: they’ve appeared on “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Between Two Ferns” with Zach Galifianakis, two shows that are far from the serious, lackluster world of politics.

This year the famous couple has appeared in various comedy skits.

President Obama partook in Galifianakis’ witty banter and comically plugged the healthcare.gov website while taking backhanded comments from Galifianakis.

Mrs. Obama appeared in a skit with Jimmy Fallon entitled “Ew,” where she made comments about teenagers needing exercise to decrease obesity.

The Obamas are reaching out to younger audiences and becoming more personable. They are deliberately showing that they can be taken as a joke and have fun.

The couple appearing on different talk shows is genius! They have become fun, light-hearted interviewees.

It’s a great contrast to the stiff videos that they are normally in. Rather than standing at a podium pushing citizens to exercise or to sign up for health care through the Affordable Care Act, the Presidential couple has become more appealing to their audience by making comedians out of themselves.

It’s nice to see the couple out of their typically stiff demeanor. But because the Obamas are so influential, many people believe they need to uphold their professionalism and keep their antics to a minimum.

However, their popularity is rising.  Statistics show that Michelle Obama’s appearance on “The Tonight Show” had 7.7 million viewers. President Obama’s appearance on “Between Two Ferns” drew in more Affordable Care Act applicants.

Three months before President Obama’s appearance on “Between Two Ferns,” 41 percent of people ages 18-29 approved of the health care act. After the show, that number bumped up to 50 percent.

Showing their personalities makes the Obamas more relatable and likable−a great strategy, but too bad they waited so long to use it.