Viola Davis Roasted For ‘Duck Face’ Portrayal Of Michelle Obama In ‘The First Lady’

The new ten-episode Showtime series “The First Lady,” which follows the lives of Michelle Obama and two other First Ladies, premiered on Sunday night. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the show has been a disappointment with only 38 percent on the Tomatometer and a 29 percent audience score.

But that’s not what anyone’s talking about.

Just one day later, the Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis is being mercilessly mocked online for her portrayal of Obama, with viewers saying that the star’s “constant duck face” is an “insult” to the former First Lady. 

Davis Roasted For Portrayal Of Obama

Daily Mail reported that while Obama is known to have a habit of pursing her lips, many viewers felt that Davis “exaggerated” this move in her performance to the point where it became “unnecessary and border-line insulting.”

“The director that made Viola Davis do that duck face may need to serve time,” one social media user commented, with another adding, “I love Viola Davis but the entire team of people behind all of this should get fired.”

“Why didn’t anybody stop you? Why could they not even give you an actual make up artist? How will you ever face Michelle Obama after this?” a third user commented, with a fourth writing, “Viola Davis needs to be stopped. She’s over doing the Michelle Obama face.”

“Viola Davis is one of the best actresses to ever hit the scene but that damn Michelle Obama biopic is a comedy simply because of that face she be making,” yet another social media user wrote. 

Related: Jimmy Kimmel Asks Michelle Obama If She Had Sex With Barack To Celebrate Death Of Osama Bin Laden

Social Media Users Weigh In

In the wake of the premiere, social media users piled on: 

Davis Admitted To Feeling Anxiety Over The Role

Before the show premiered, Davis had previously admitted to feeling great “anxiety” and “stress” over playing Obama. 

“I’m glad it’s over!” Davis told Jimmy Kimmel last week. “I mean, the stress… Because everybody likes – loves – Michelle Obama.”

We would like to disagree with her on that one, but we digress.

“They know what she sounds like, they know what she looks like,” Davis continued. “And I’m like, ‘I don’t want Michelle Obama calling me, cussing me out.'”

Related: Barack And Michelle Obama Aim To Teach ‘Young Americans’ About Government In New Animated Netflix Series

Watch Davis’ full comments on this below. 

Davis is a Critically Acclaimed Actress

It’s surprising to see Davis make such a questionable acting choice. She has a background in theater, giving strong performances in plays like “Intimate Apparel” and “King Hedley II.” She’s also gained critical acclaim through roles in films like “Doubt,” “The Help,” and “the Shonda Rhimes show “How to Get Away with Murder.” Doubt”

But if you’re only as good as your last performance, Davis’ legacy may be in jeopardy.

Davis Is ‘Hiding From Michelle’

When asked if she had sent screeners of the show to Obama, Davis replied, “I am hiding from Michelle. I’m hiding. I’m hiding in my house. I’m not sending her nothing.”

“That’s the kind of thing where you have to prostrate yourself on the floor and just go, ‘OK, Michelle, I messed up,'” she added. 

It looks like Davis may indeed be telling Obama just that, should she ever run into the former First Lady somewhere. 

“The First Lady” also chronicles the lives of First Ladies Betty Ford and Eleanor Roosevelt, who are played by Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson, respectively. It airs on Sunday nights at 9 pm on Showtime.