At the beginning of Becoming, the 2020 documentary about Michelle Obama, the former first lady explains the pressures that come with the title. “Being the first lady has been the greatest honor in my life,” she says. “But how many people are in that position, where the entire attention of everything is [on] you? Every gesture you make — every blink of an eye — is being analyzed. You have the world watching every move you make. Your life isn’t yours anymore.” In 2018, Michelle published a memoir detailing her life before, during, and after her time in the People’s House. The memoir inspired the documentary (which you can learn more about below), but neither is the first of its kind. 

The world’s fascination with the unelected office of first lady has been well documented. After Becoming premiered on Netflix, Lady Bird Johnson was given the doc treatment in 2023 with The Lady Bird Diaries, and Melania Trump was recently chronicled in the 2026 documentary Melania. There have been plenty of fictional first ladies, too, like Mellie Grant in Scandal and Abbey Bartlet in The West Wing. If you want to dive headfirst into more stories about first ladies, both real and fictional, check out these documentaries and series on Netflix.

Becoming

This 2020 documentary follows former first lady Michelle Obama as she embarks on the book tour for her 2018 memoir of the same name. Becoming features an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at Michelle’s cross-country journey as she reflects on her childhood on the South Side of Chicago, her husband’s historic presidential runs, the Obama family’s time in the White House, and her own lasting impact. Part biography, part meditation on what it means to be first lady of the United States, this documentary, directed by Nadia Hallgren (Victoria Beckham), was nominated for four Emmy Awards and a Grammy.

Becoming

1h 29m   PG   2020

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Ingobernable

Kate del Castillo (La Reina del Sur) stars in this two-season political drama as Emilia Urquiza, the first lady of Mexico, whose imperfect marriage to President Diego Nava (Erik Hayser) is on the brink of collapse. When she files for divorce, it results in an epic blowout — and Diego is soon found dead. As the only other person in the room when he died, Emilia is suspected of his murder and forced to go on the run. Can she disprove the Secret Service’s theory, or is her shoddy memory of that night hiding a darker truth than anyone could have predicted?

Ingobernable

2 Seasons   TV-MA   2017

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The Martha Mitchell Effect

Anne Alvergue and Debra McClutchy directed this documentary about Martha Mitchell, the “first lady” of Richard Nixon’s cabinet and wife of former United States Attorney General John N. Mitchell. It details how Martha, an outspoken socialite, was caught up and targeted in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, which Nixon blamed on her during his interviews with journalist David Frost. The movie — which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film — details, via original interviews and archival footage, how the administration moved to silence Martha and the movement that sprung up around her efforts.

The Martha Mitchell Effect

0h 40m   PG   2022

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