Features
Rachael Ray and Michele Norris Announced as Next Round of Moderators for Michelle Obama Book Tour
The BECOMING: AN INTIMATE CONVERSATION WITH MICHELLE OBAMA Tour Continues February 28 in Austin, TX and March 2 in Houston, TX
LOS ANGELES (Feb 25, 2019) – Today, Live Nation and Crown Publishing, a part of Penguin Random House, announced the next two moderators for the 2019 tour dates of Becoming: An Intimate Conversation with Michelle Obama.
Produced by Live Nation, the tour continues this Thursday, February 28 in Austin, TX with television show host Rachael Ray. Additionally, Michele Norris will join Mrs. Obama on stage once again as moderator at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX on Saturday, March 2. (Please see below for moderator biographies.)
This 2019 extension of the tour will include 15 events in the United States and Canada, with Mrs. Obama making stops in previously unvisited cities, including Austin, Toronto, Atlanta, St. Paul, Cleveland, and Vancouver among others. The tour will also include 6 dates in Europe, including Amsterdam, Copenhagen, London, Paris, Oslo, and Stockholm. The final event will take place on May 12 in Nashville, TN, at the historic Ryman Auditorium concluding the Becoming book tour. Tickets and a limited number of VIP meet and greet packages with the former First Lady are on sale now at BecomingMichelleObama.com.
In keeping with her commitment to make her events accessible to as many people as possible, Mrs. Obama and Live Nation will donate a portion of ticket inventory in each market to various organizations, including, but not limited to, charities, schools, book clubs, and community groups in each city the tour visits. Those fans will receive free admission to the tour stop in their city.
Becoming was released on November 13, 2018, in the U.S. and Canada by Crown Publishing, a part of Penguin Random House, and is being published in 44 languages around the world. Since its publication, Becoming became an instant #1 New York Times bestseller after one week of sales, and has sold more than 5.9 million units in all formats and editions in the U.S. and Canada. According to NDP BookScan data, the hardcover edition of Becoming has sold more copies than any other book published in the United States in 2018 and more copies than any other hardcover nonfiction book published since 2007.
After 22 printings, the hardcover edition of Becoming will have 5,265,000 copies in print in the U.S. and Canada and more than 8.25 million copies in print worldwide. The book is also a #1 bestseller in 12 other countries around the world. An audio edition of the book, read by Mrs. Obama, is also available in digital and physical formats by Penguin Random House Audio.
BECOMING: AN INTIMATE CONVERSATION WITH MICHELLE OBAMA UPCOMING 2019 DATES:
| Thursday, February 28, 2019 | Austin, TX | Frank Erwin Center |
| Saturday, March 2, 2019 | Houston, TX | Toyota Center |
| Wednesday, March 13, 2019 | St. Paul, MN | Xcel Energy Center |
| Thursday, March 14, 2019 | Milwaukee, WI | Miller High Life Theatre |
| Saturday, March 16, 2019 | Cleveland, OH | KeyBank State Theatre |
| Thursday, March 21, 2019 | Vancouver, BC | Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena |
| Friday, March 22, 2019 | Edmonton, AB | Rogers Place |
| Tuesday, April 9, 2019 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Royal Arena |
| Wednesday, April 10, 2019 | Stockholm, Sweden | Ericsson Globe |
| Thursday, April 11, 2019 | Oslo, Norway | Oslo Spektrum |
| Sunday, April 14, 2019 | London, UK | The O2 Arena |
| Tuesday, April 16, 2019* | Paris, France | AccorHotels Arena |
| Wednesday, April 17, 2019 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Ziggo Dome |
| Friday, May 3, 2019 | Montreal, QC | Bell Centre |
| Saturday, May 4, 2019 | Toronto, ON | Scotiabank Arena |
| Friday, May 10, 2019 | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | BB&T Center |
| Saturday, May 11, 2019 | Atlanta, GA | State Farm Arena |
| Sunday, May 12, 2019 | Nashville, TN | Ryman Auditorium |
About Live Nation Entertainment
Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, please visit www.livenationentertainment.com.
About Crown Publishing
Crown Publishing is a part of Penguin Random House, the world’s largest trade book publisher, which is dedicated to its mission of nourishing a universal passion for reading by connecting authors and their writing with readers everywhere. The company, which employs 10,000 people globally, was formed on July 1, 2013, by Bertelsmann and Pearson, who own 75 percent and 25 percent respectively. With more than 250 independent imprints and brands on five continents, Penguin Random House comprises adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction print and digital English- and Spanish-language trade book publishing businesses in more than 20 countries worldwide. With 15,000 new titles, and 600 million print, audio, and ebooks sold annually, Penguin Random House’s publishing lists include more than 60 Nobel Prize laureates and hundreds of the world’s most widely read authors.
Becoming by Michelle Obama Media Contacts:
Crown Publishing/Penguin Random House:
Carisa Hays, chays@penguinrandomhouse.com
Live Nation Media Contact:
Emily Bender, emilybender@livenation.com
Monique Sowinski, moniquesowinski@livenation.com
Moderator Biographies
Rachael Ray
Rachael Ray is an Emmy award winning syndicated television star, an iconic Food Network television personality, best-selling cookbook author, Founder and Editorial Director of her own lifestyle magazine, Rachael Ray Every Day, and developer of a line of super premium dog and cat food and treats called Rachael Ray Nutrish®.
Additionally, Rachael is committed to changing the way America eats through Yum-o!, a program she founded to provide the tools to create easy, affordable and delicious meals. Yum-o!’s three work areas include educating kids and their families about cooking, feeding hungry American kids and funding cooking education and scholarships. For this important work, Rachael received the honor of being named to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition by President Barack Obama in 2014.
Michele Norris
Michele Norris is one of the most trusted voices in American journalism. She is the former host of NPR’s All Things Considered and Founding Director of The Peabody Award-winning Race Card Project. Norris is the author of The Grace of Silence and has worked for ABC News, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune and The Los Angeles Times. She is The Executive Director of The Bridge, the Aspen Institute’s program that uses narrative exchange to create connections among people of different backgrounds and perspectives.