it in, say, i'm not going back, start over somewhere? >> yeah, it would have been a whole lot easier. it definitely would have been a whole lot easier, but i won't let this get me down. >> reporter: a full month after a deadly tornado and so many still so slow to turn the corner from surviving to recovery. david mattingly, cnn, tuscaloosa, alabama. >> from the cnn center in atlanta, i'm drew griffin. piers morgan is next. >> 13 mm people watch got gree" and his star. he's almost made "time" magazine's 100 list for most influential people in the world. he's a role model to millions of fans and hobb noboknobbing with celebrities. >> you bowed to lady gaga? >> well, she had a crown on.

>> and he's even met the president. >> he said, hi, i'm chris. and when i get nervous i get high pitched so i'm like, hi, chris. >> and somebody who knows the first president better than anybody else. the first brother-in-law. >> what do do you say when you see him? >> mr. president or the guy who goes to his left all the time on the basketball court. >> michelle's brother, craig. this is "piers morgan tonight." >> google chris and you'll get more than 2.5 million results, "glee's" overnight sensation, fans hanging on his every word. he's here and i, too, will be hanging on your every word. >> thank you, thank you. >> i don't know why i do this to myself because i picked up "entertainment weekly" the cover, which has eluded me so far. >> it's coming.

>> two copies of hollywood reporter this year alone. there you are on both of them. and then this one, which absolutely, i have to be honest, sickened me. i have spent 46 years in journalism and broadcasting, desperate to get on the top 100 of "time" magazine's most influential people. there you are, first shout. you're not even inside, you're on the cover, under the banner. >> right under the "m". >> the most prominent head. >> right, the "m" on on my forehead. >> how old are you? >> i'm turning 21 in two weeks. >> this is ridiculous. how did you do this? >> i have a fantastic publicity team. i mean -- >> when you pick up "time" magazine, you weren't even -- you weren't doing anything before you got this job, were you? >> no, no. i was just a student and i was in high school a few months before i got the show and i was in college two weeks. when i officially got it. i was working in the dry cleaners? the summer. >> earning how much?

>> oeshg, gosh. >> let me get more annoyed. >> dry cleaners i was making, i think, $7.25 an hour. i think that was minimum wage at the time. >> you were earning $7.25 an hour. in a dpri cleaners. >> yes. >> when you get a call saying, are you available to be the heart throb star of the biggest tv show in america? >> i wish it was that picturesque but -- >> pretty well is like that. >> in a way, yeah, yeah. i mean, i was just -- >> what were you when you got the call? >> it's driving back from the last audition. and i was -- my mom was driving. and i -- we were just passing santa monica pier. the phone rang. she answered it and she looked at me with that look and i knew i had it. >> what's the look? >> the look was like -- looked like she should be driving, paying attention to the road. that's the look i was giving back to her but it was like, oh, the look. >> how did you feel? what an extraordinary story for

you. did you realize when you got that call how big it might be? did you have an inkling? >> absolutely not. had i had any notion that it would become what it was, i would be insane. who could have predicted all this. >> i was trying to think of anyone in recent time that has gone from where you started at the dry cleaners to the cover "time" magazine within a year. i mean, it's absolutely startling. >> it is. it's so surreal that whenever i have a minute to myself and i stop and think about it, i get so lost in this cloud nine world it's so hard to come back down from it. >> did you dream of being famous? were you like all these kids -- you know, a bit of acting and singing, were you thinking in your head, i really want to be, whoever, tom cruise and -- >> oh, no. >> zac efron? >> no. >> who were were your ilgds? >> i never thought i would be heart throb stature. i always dreamed of being respected but i never had any

aspiration of being famous or just being known. >> who did you look up to? who were your celebrity idols? >> oh, gosh. yikes. honestly, i don't know if i really had any because there wasn't anyone there for me to look up top yeah, first there was no -- >> really, you didn't have anyone you thought, i want to be like them? >> everybody wants to be lady gaga at some point or another. >> i didn't want to -- >> no, you're lying. everyone. >> i have never woke up thinking, i want to be lady gaga. >> have you ever wanted to be oprah? >> not actually oprah. >> i did. >> really? >> i did. >> this is fascinating. >> why wouldn't you want to be oprah? >> who wouldn't be? are you kidding? if you don't, there's something wrong with you. >> funny enough, oprah i do get, yet yes. lady gaga -- >> no, she was never like -- she's very inspirational for my character but -- i don't know.

i didn't have a hero growing up, unfortunately. >> did you always want to be an actor? >> yes. i was 3 years old and i was watching a movie, and i remember the credit came on. and i remember asking my mom why it was over. and i just desperately wanted to be on the other side of it. and, you know, as i got older i found out what movies actually were, actors playing these roles and those kids weren't actually living the adventures you saw them living but i knew i want to be a part of that world. >> when was the moment with "glee" when you realized your life wouldn't be the same? when did it pop for you? >> i think it's a constant bubble that gets popped more and more. >> there must have been a moment when the ratings came in. >> it's your first thing, you think as soon as the pilot airs first time, it's going to be this huge thing and you won't be able to walk outside. it doesn't work out that way. it's more of a gradual process. >> for you, what was the pinch

me moment? >> oh, god. what was the first pinch me moment? >> the moment when you rang your mom and you were carried carried away on the phone. >> maybe the first time i was recognized or maybe it was -- maybe it was the first time i drove up to paramount studios and had a place for my car to go. that was crazy. >> through the gates. >> through the gates. they didn't call the stuart. >> i had the same moment when i signed up for "america's got talent" and the first day of filming the live shows was through those famous gates. >> yeah, yeah. it's awesome. >> that is a moment, isn't it? >> it's an amazing feeling, yes. >> you're thinking this is a long way from the dry cleaners. >> absolutely. getting work, being a working actor was the moment for me, when i -- when i really had the realization. >> and then "glee" explodes and your character becomes this iconic character really fast. and you -- i think you're very smart in the way you handled the character and brand and everything else. >> thank you. >> you do this extraordinary speech at golden globes which i

want to play a clip of first. >> chris colfer. ♪ ♪ smell of wine and >> i have to think ryan murphy for being my fairy god father. everybody at fox, robert orick for submitting me to the show when there was nothing to submit me for. our amazing, amazing -- >> i get high-pitched when i get nervous. >> you guys are -- you guys deserve this as much as i do. most importantly, to all the amazing kids that watch our show and the kids that our show celebrates who are constantly told no by the people in their environments, by bullies at school they can be who they are or have what they want because of who they are. well, screw that, kids. >> i mean, that for me was the moment for you. obviously, you won the golden globe, that's big enough, but actually, i remember the media reaction after you made that short but perfectly phrased speech. and you became the poster boy

for kids who are being bullied. for whatever reason. it wasn't -- there's something wrong. it wasn't just about kids who may be gay or whatever. it's just kids who feel they're outsiders, right? >> absolutely. i think maybe somewhere in my mind i knew that when i made that speech that kurt was affecting more than gay kids, affecting kids being bullied in general. i don't remember that moment at all. i was such an adrenaline high -- >> if your voice had gotten much higher i would recommend you joining the bee gees. it was out of control. >> cue imagine the dogs that would have been howling -- >> windows cracks. >> -- for miles and miles. gosh, people's glasses would have been breaking. >> what a thrilling moment. >> yes. >> and then to have the poise to come up with what you did, whether you planned or not, and by the sound you did not. when you were walking up, what did you think? >> i was thinking don't trip on a chair or table on the way up there because it was so possible because there were so many

things in my way. honestly, i don't remember anything. i remember getting up there and saying what i felt and then looking out into the audience and thanking everyone i could feelly see and remember who they were. i saw people but i couldn't remember their name at the moment. and then thank god i was a big speech and debate kid in high school and thank god i was otherwise i would have spoken pannish up there. >> obviously, i would imagine all people who get bullied at school, you can probably remember these bullies. >> yes. >> does it please you you're able to have this wonderful moment of payback, really? >> now, there's a diplomatic answer i could give but -- >> give me the straight answer. >> -- absolutely, yes, oh, god, yes, yes. those individuals, it's almost like you want to say suck it to them. i should have just sad that, given names and social security numbers instead. no it's great. >> do you remember their names? >> yes, of course. >> any one in particular i would

like to smoke out? >> no, i hated them all equally. >> tell me about that period when you were being bullied because obviously that speech you made applied to all kids being bullied. how did it make you feel? >> i would be embarrassed. i would walk by people i barely knew in the hallway and they would scream profanities at me that i didn't think were true at the time. of course, everyone else in the hall would laugh. of course, i had legendary comebacks but it's embarrassing. it's uncalled for. especially when they don't know you and they don't know them. and i was a really, really good kid. i wasn't necessarily the best student but i was a fantastic kid. it was just heart-wrenching, heartbreaking. >> when we come back, we'll talk about "glee," the phenom none. how important it is to not just you and the cast but to america now.

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♪ ♪ caught in a bad romance ♪ woo woo ♪ watch out ♪ caught in a bad romance that was the lady gaga episode of "glee," of course, which was brilliant to watch. i love lady gaga. to me me she's just a fae nom none who completely gets what it takes to be a modern day brand, doesn't she? >> she understands her fans. >> did you meet her? >> a couple times. >> what did you make of her? >> i completely embarrassed myself to no end. i mean, i bowed. who does that? >> you bowed? >> i bowed to lady gaga. >> she's not royalty. >> well, she had a crown on, so, you know, but -- >> what did she say to you? >> thank you. >> did you have to then do anything else? >> no. i kind of ran out of the -- no, no. thank god i didn't. it crossed my mind. i ran out after that. >> did you have a public conversation with her?

>> no, absolutely. i don't think i'll have a proper conversation with her after that. >> way too nervous? >> yes. >> is she like an iconic figure for you? >> she's actually one of the first people in my generation whose music i liked. everyone before her i didn't care for too much, like growing up. there wasn't much to choose from. she's really the first person i've connected to her music and have liked it. >> here's an interesting question. you recently went to the white house correspondents dinner. there you are at one of the top tables. i'm always curious about the reality. when you meet, for example, the right-wing politicians or commentators, whatever, i bet it's all over you like a rash about "glee." >> everyone loves "glee." everyone loves "glee" and me in "glee." it's hysterical. >> you quietly know they're all voting for gay rights. >> i do watch c-span occasionally. it's great when people come up and, oh, my god, i love you, can i have a picture with you? sure, you don't believe in me

and my right but, sure, sure you can have a picture to me. >> do you let them have the picture? >> i might as well. >> do you ever say, i know how you voted? >> here's the thing, what if somebody else comes along and they go, no, that gay kid from "glee" didn't give me a picture. i'll vote no. take that. >> will they change their minds because you gave them a picture? >> who knows? i think it's more likely they will change it positively if i give them a picture. you know who they are when they ask you. >> absolutely. >> and you know how they voted? >> yeah, usually, yeah. >> i love that. >> yeah. yeah. >> do you feel like you're winning when that you have moment? >> a little bit. it is kind of nice when people -- yeah, when people believe so strongly against you yet they want proof that they met you. it's kind of awesome. >> you've obviously become this, as i say, iconic figure. do you feel that america is fast becoming much less homophobic, or do you feel as gay rights become much more prominent and successes are being achieved in a funny way it's becoming --

in certain pockets more home mow phobic because they try to resist this change? >> you know, i don't know, because i know that i surround myself with positivity towards the situation and not negativity, but i certainly hope so and i certainly have witnessed firsthand the progress that's been made and some progress that myself and the show have made. so i like to believe, yes, it has definitely improved. >> you stopped googling yourself? because of all the abuse -- >> oh, god, yes. >> if it makes you feel better, you should have a look at my name on google. seriously. >> the last time i googled myself i think was september 2009. >> and it's so shocking. what did you find there? what kind of thing? >> just high school again. it was high school all over again, people making fun of my voice, of the way i looked. i mean, it was just -- it was just bullying in another form. >> and that hurt? >> yeah, because, i mean, it's ridiculous when people have, like, strong opinions about you when it's about things you can't control, like an example, my

voice. i cannot control how high pitched i get when i get excited. i wish i could control it. there are so many situations when i wish i wasn't squealing, but it just -- >> your voice didn't have that kind of tone to it you wouldn't be the singer you are. >> maybe not. maybe not. >> it's all hand in hand. >> it comes back. >> can't get everything you want. >> well, i mean -- >> talk about rubbing it in. i like that. you enjoy it. if i was on the cover of "time" magazine, i would carry this around with me all day long. >> hey, might as well because -- >> i really would. >> oh, thanks, thanks. i almost did. >> what did your mother say when she saw this? >> whenever i call -- my dad is always over the moon excited and so proud and just so excited. whenever i call my mom, my mom will get silent for like two minute on the phone and she'll go, like, who are you? she gets -- she apologizes. i'm so sorry, christopher, i don't mean to be silent.

i'm so proud -- i just can't believe, you came out of me. it's crazy. >> my mother said to me, you're looking very pale. are you working too hard again? >> oh, that's sweet. >> mothers do that. they don't see you the way everybody else does. >> no, no. >> tell me about how the fame thing has impacted your life. i mean, are you finding you're getting more attractive because of the fame? >> oh, sure. i hope so. i don't know. i think -- >> you know what i mean. fame is such a sort of magnet to people, isn't it? >> kind of. a little bit. i mean, i think fame is great until the day comes when you are afraid to leave your house alone and then the day when your name is used as an adjective in a negative way. >> it's interesting. it's like culture, isn't it, of envy, of resentment of people's success. i mean, that goes with the territory, doesn't it? >> yeah. >> are you equipped to deal with all this? >> sometimes. sometimes not. sometimes i do get very overwhelmed with it, and

sometimes -- i'm quite frightened by it, to be honest. >> it is scary. >> it is scary. it's very scary. and there really is a whole other world people don't see. they always see in front of the camera. they never really see the behind-the-scenes stuff. >> what's behind-the-scenes stuff with you? >> you know, like the security risks and the security issues that are very frightening, that people don't know about because i don't want them to know about, but -- >> what's the scariest thing that's happened to you? >> i was at a movie theater once, and i was by myself, stupidly, and i was semimobbed, but it got very physical and people were pulling at me and grabbing at me, and i had to call the police. and the next day i was covered in bruises because people got so physical with me. >> wow. >> yeah. >> and as it was going on, what were you thinking? >> not much. i went to my happy place. but -- >> i would go to my unhappy place. >> no, i definitely had to go to my happy place. >> were you worried about

whether you might survive this? >> absolutely. i mean, it -- >> it was crazy, right? >> it's crazy. but it's really a mind trip because on one hand you want them to stop, you want it to stop, and on the other hand you know that if you -- since are you in the public eye f you are a raging jerk and say, get off me, leave me alone, then you know it will be written about the next day and, you know, people are going to say stuff -- it will be talk about what a jerk are you. >> have you had stalkers? >> not -- not really. some form of stalking is flattering, you know. >> yeah. if they're good looking. >> if they're very good looking i don't call it stalking. i call it pursuing. strongly pursuing. >> highway do you deal with the dating process when you're really famous? how do you trust people? >> i don't know. i mean, i think it's -- i don't know how you deal with it. i -- because i think there's

always the question if -- what people's real intentions are. >> yeah. >> but i don't know. i think you just have to wish for the best. it's a gamble. >> life's a gamble, though, isn't it? >> life is a gamble. >> another short break. when we come back we'll talk about projects outside "glee," including this movie you're about to start making. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics... a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief

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>> stop, stop. kurt, please just stop. come on. >> don't you get how stupid we were? we thought that because no one was teasing us or beating us up that no one cared. like some kind of progress had been made. but it's still the same. >> it's just a stupid joke. >> no, it's not. all that hate, they were just afraid to say it out loud. so they did it by secret ballot. i'm one big practical joke. >> moving scene from "glee" starring my guest today, chris colfer.

powerful stuff there. "glee" gets the reputation of being light, fun, frivolous show but there are moments like that which are really significant and have a real impact on america. >> right, right. all the light stuff makes the stuff that punches you that much stronger. >> yeah. >> yeah. >> you seem to cry from every single episode -- >> i do. it's one of my biggest acting things is it has to be my tears, otherwise i think i'm cheating. >> and how do you get your tears to work? >> it's really just a gland thing. >> can you do it now? >> well, no, i can't do it now. >> some of you actors can literally -- >> i'm not that good at it >> how long does it take you to get into tear mode? >> depends on the scene. if i'm sobbing, maybe a minute. to get things running down. >> a minute. >> a minute or two. or if you just need one or two, like a couple of seconds. >> you can get tears in a couple seconds. >> i could. >> come on. >> i can't do it on the spot. >> why not? >> unless it's scripted. unless i have time -- >> here's the script. i'll play a character. >> okay. >> i'm saying something really upsetting to you.

>> no, i can't. i can't do it now. >> it would be great tv. >> it would be great tv. >> like a magician revealing his tricks. do you feel awkward about it? >> that's what it is. i have to do this whole chant before i can do it. i can't do that right now. >> can all actors do it? can they all do it to order? >> no, it's -- no, because sometimes, you know, like you can't because your body can't produce tears so you can't. >> i couldn't. if someone said to me, cry. i couldn't even start -- i haven't cried in ten years. i don't know how you do it. >> i really have not cried off camera in years. >> really. >> i don't think i've cried -- >> when was the last time? >> last time i cried. my grandmother's funeral. like 2, 2 1/2 years ago. that's the last time i cried. every time i've done it so far -- since then has been in front of the camera. >> in the show, literally almost every episode a moment when you're in tears. >> oh, yeah. >> you're not actually that emotional off camera. >> no. i would say for me what works is

i'm about 20% emotional and then 80% physical. a lot of -- i think everything i do is very physical. >> has all this happened to you, has it bullied you up a bit, all that bullying, all thats s o ostracizing? >> yeah, i think so. excuse me. >> steeled yourself growing up. >> i think it made me a sarcastic person, for sure. i think sarcasm comes from hard times. >> the good thing is you're welling up because you've been coughing. >> yeah. >> we can cut this and make it look like -- >> like i started crying. right, right. so i have horrible allergies. that's why i can do it. horrible allergies. >> is it fun, "glee," or like all these shows, actually incredibly hard work to make? >> it is -- i'd be lying if i didn't say it was a lot of work. i mean, we are working constantly. and -- >> when did you finish working on this season? >> we finished season two yesterday at 4:00 in the morning. >> wow. >> yes. we are constantly working. it's hard to hear other actors

complain about their four hours a day tapings and -- because we really are working constantly. >> do you now get time off or what happens? >> no, no. on our hiatus we get, we go on a music tour. i mean, it's an amazing, amazing thing to be a part of. but it's a lot of work. >> and you also are doing a movie. >> yes. >> how are you going to fit that in? >> well, the tour ends on july 5th or 4th, i believe, and as soon as it's over i'm literally going straight to a plane and flying to a set in l.a. >> in the moment that finishes you're back in "glee." >> back in season three of "glee." >> do you get any time off at all? >> no, but that's self-inflicted. >> even a day? >> i'll get a day here and there. >> when you see the schedule, before it used to say dry cleaners, college. >> school, work, grandma's house. >> when you look now and it says "glee" tour, movie, "glee" -- >> insane, yeah. >> crazy. >> it is. it's just -- it's insanity. sometimes i think maybe i'm still back in my hometown, i just went insane and i'm sitting

there in some mental institution just rocking thinking all of this is true. >> is there anything else you're up to other than all this? or is that enough this year? >> right, no. there are a thousand things i'm up to. i'm doing a -- developing a television show for disney right now. yeah, i have tons of projects up my sleeve that i haven't announced yet. >> of all the famous people you've met, who's been the most inspiring to you when you actually met them? >> oh. >> apart from the president. >> obviously. of course. of course. i don't know. give me a minute to think about this. >> just curious who you may have met that is actually been quite profound to you for whatever reason. >> yeah. >> because you're now mixing in these rarefied circles. >> no. yeah. i mean -- >> did you meet the president? >> i did. >> what did he say to you? >> hi, i'm barack. >> he didn't. >> he did. he said, hi, i'm barack. and i said, i know.

and of course when i get excited i get high pitched so i was like, i'm chris! he probably thought i was some mickey mouse impersonator. >> does he know you? >> i think his daughters did. no, i think he's a little busy to watch "glee." >> he didn't say he watched it religiously. >> he didn't say, oh, i loved you in "single ladies." i was praying i got that, but no. >> what's the most excited you've been to meet anyone apart from the president? >> i loved meeting oprah because, i mean, who wouldn't? >> what was she like with you? >> great. great. very welcoming and gave everyone hugs and friendly and awesome. and i've gotten to meet a lot of my heroes. >> i bet for your mother when she was watching you on oprah, that was quite a moment. >> she was upset because she didn't get to go with me, so she was -- she was mad about that. >> so your mother is get deeg manneding about fame? >> a little bit, a little bit, yeah. she called me and said, i did an

interview about famous mothers. i hope you don't mind. and i'm like -- >> i have to ban my mother from talking to the immediate. >> yeah. >> i try, i try. >> i say, that's it. you can't talk again. >> my biggest fear that upsets my parent because i was so young doing all these things, i didn't want to look like i had stage parents guide mowing a leash so i never invited them to anything the first couple of years we were doing this. and now a couple years are passed and they're like, when do we get to come to set? i'm like, oh, maybe next season. >> it's been a real good pleasure. >> thank you, thank you. coming up, a white house insider like no other. michelle obama's brother, craig robinson. if you ask a parent, they might call it intuitive. if you ask a musician, they might call it inspiring. to a doctor, it's groundbreaking. to a ceo, it's powerful. to a teacher, it's the future.

if you ask a child, she might call it magic. and if you asked us, we'd say it's just getting started.

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you could call craig robinson first brother-in-law, but michelle obama's brother is also a college basketball star turned very successful coach and the author of "a game of character: a family journey from chicago's south side to the ivy league." craig robinson joins me now. i read this book. fascinating book. >> thank you.

>> for many reasons. >> thank you. >> as i read it, i was thinking, so this guy goes to princeton, you get an mba from the university of chicago, you're the coach of an amazing basketball team at oregon state, and a life of unparalleled excellence and success. and just when you're claiming all bragging rights in the family, your sister goes and marries the guy that becomes president of the united states. i mean, that's a bummer, isn't it? >> for some people it could be. but what you have to understand, piers, is that my sister spent her entire life being craig robinson's little sister. everywhere she went, it was craig, craig, and she does a great impression of this. it's like craig, craig, craig, craig, craig. you're craig's sister. are you craig's little sister? she's had to put up with that her entire life. now it's only fair i spend some time being michelle obama's older brother. >> are you proud to be michelle obama's older brother? >> absolutely. absolutely.

she's just such a bright light for the family, for the country, for her own individual family, and i couldn't be more proud of her. >> reading the book, very interesting, you're very modest beginnings that you had as family. tell me about the early days. >> you know, i talk about this in "a game of character." it didn't seem modest to us. it felt like we lived in a castle even though we lived in this one-bedroom apartment. and it was filled with love and lessons and tenderness. and they're the kind of lessons that resonate at the kitchen table as they did for us on the basketball court as it does for my team and in the boardroom as it did when i was working in corporate america. >> when i see michelle, whom i've never met, when i see her, she shows remarkable poise and apparent self-confidence. and you're similar. you know, you're a confident man but you're a warm character. i can tell that. you can tell that from the book.

you're obviously similar personalities. are you amazed at how she's dealt with becoming first lady? >> wow. amazed? i'm amazed that she is the first lady. i mean, you know, who does that? who grows up on the south side of chicago and, as you pointed out, very modest background, and ends up being the first lady? >> well, the answer is nobody. nobody has done that. >> that's right. >> that's what makes her position so completely unique, and barack obama's, for that matter. >> right. and her ability to step into that role has -- is a real tribute, i think, to our parents. i mean, you know, whatever we've been asked to do in life or shown to do, it's been a really -- it's been -- our parents wanted us to do it with -- with love, hard work, empathy, compassion, and you see all of that in my sister. >> what do you call the president now?

when you see him. >> oh, when i see him i call him barack or president obama or mr. president. i've called him all the best -- all of those. the best one is that guy who goes to his left all the time on the basketball court. >> doesn't it feel even stranger calling him mr. president? >> it does. >> this guy your sister -- i mean, take me back to first time you met him. >> it is. it is so surreal. and it's one of the favorite stories from "a game of character" is when my sister brought him home, so to speak, and asked -- after she introduced us and we saw things were going well -- >> had you heard of him before? >> you know, i had heard she was dating a guy who was a harvard guy and they worked together in the summer and this, that, and the other. but i sort of took it like i took most of her boyfriends. i figured the guy would be gone, 86'd in about two months. and so i didn't pay much attention. but then after a while, when we

got to meet him, i was, like, wow, this guy has such a different background from ours, but you could tell right away he had the same values that our family did but raised completely different. so they dated for a few months, and she came back and asked me to take him to play ball. she heard my father and i talk about how you can tell a guy's personality and character based on how he plays on the basketball court. so to make a long story short, it was tough for me to say yes to agree to that, but i did, and i took him out to play and just was -- it was reinforced what a wonderful guy he was. he was completely unselfish on the court. he was quietly confident to be playing with a bunch of guys who were ex-college and pro basketball players. and the best part about him was that he didn't try to suck up to me by just passing me the ball. you know, he played the game

like it should have been played. so i was able to report back to my sister that this is a pretty good guy based on our -- >> are you a good judge of character from the way people perform on a basketball court? is it as simple as those things that he was doing means he's a good man? >> you know, it's hard when you get fatigued to shield your real personality. that's what i'll say. it's not always an indicator, but you can do a lot of -- you can sort a lot out by watching a guy play. >> take a short break. when we come back, i want to talk to you about the first moment you walked through the white house as the brother-in-law of the president of the united states. at bayer, we've been relieving pain for over 100 years. and today, we're re-inventing aspirin for pain relief. with new extra-strength bayer advanced aspirin. it has microparticles so it enters the bloodstream faster

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today i've watched michelle and barack strengthen each other. i've watched them create a home filled with love and grounded in faith.

during challenging times, i've watched michelle and barack stand by each other. and i know they'll stand by you, the american people, now and in the future. >> that was craig robinson >> that was craig roberson introducing his sister michelle at the democratic national convention and joins me back again now. what was the moment when michelle was dating, what was the moment that you realized that this guy may be something special politically? >> i had no idea at the time when i met him. i mean, he was a lawyer. he had been a community organizer. i knew he had political aspirations, but he never came off as a political guy to me. he always seemed like just a normal smart guy, great personality, who looked like he'd be a good fit with my sister. that is how i looked at it, and

it wasn't until he really started getting into politics and those first early campaigns where i saw, you know, he's got a gift for this >> i remember watching him speak for the first time around 2004, i think it was, and thinking, wow, who is this guy? because he -- he just had something, and other people picked up on it, and then obviously he ended up running and ended up winning, and then you make your speech there. what's the moment like for you personally on a human level when you walk into the white house for the first time with your brother-in-law as the president of the united states? >> well, i've got to tell you. the first thing, piers, that struck me is how small the inside of the white house was. >> i felt that. i was there the other day. it's a lot smaller. >> it is. the rooms are small. the building looks grand, but when you go in it's small and i tell you the only bed big enough for a 6'6" guy is the one in the

lincoln bedroom. >> if you don't get, that you've had it. >> my feet were hanging off. >> was it a surreal moment for you? >> and it still is, and i try to get into this a little bit in a game of character, but i don't get to flesh out at all. it is remarkably weird walking in there and knowing that my mom and my sister and my brother-in-law and my nieces live there. i mean, it just -- you -- you can't possibly get your arms around it, even after this period of time, but it just it's truly a rewarding opportunity, and every time i go it's very exciting. >> what do you think is the greatest mischaracterization of the obamas from your -- from your standpoint? what's something that annoys you the most when you see them described as whatever? >> you know, i would love to tell you that there's something that bothers me, but nothing that anybody says bothers me, and, you know, i talk about that

in "a game of character," how my mom at an early age helped us with our self-esteem by saying to us if you're doing the right things, it doesn't matter what people say about you. if you're doing your best, working your hardest, and you have good intentions, then just do what you do. >> do you ever argue with the president about stuff he's doing as president? >> are you kidding, no? he's much smarter than i am. >> you never do? >> no, no, no. we may have the conversation about which chicago bulls team was better than the other one because we're both great chicago bulls fans, but, no -- >> you're not tempted over the breakfast table to say, come on, mr. president, not this policy of yours. >> not at all, and i appreciate the fact that he stays out of my team's business, too. >> how did you feel when you digs covered that your brother-in-law had ordered the mission, the successful mission,

that killed osama bin laden? >> well, i -- i have to say i was probably like most of the people were who heard the news. it was extremely moving and then extremely thankful and exhilirated that it worked. >> he didn't even tell michelle, he said? >> i'm sure. i'm sure that's the case, and -- and i -- you know, it is -- you talk about character and integrity. you think about how wonderful our armed forces specialists are and all the people who are fighting for this country, and it just -- it was a very humbling and sobering thought that went through my mind and just made me glad that i live here. >> and finally, will you be out on the stump for him in the next election campaign? >> well, if they need me. i don't know if they will need me. if they need me, i'll be willing to help, as always, but --

>> i read this, i would definitely bring you into the team, craig robinson. >> thanks. >> i think you're a secret weapon. >> thank you very much. >> very nice to meets you. >> nice to meet you. thanks for having me on. >> when we come back, my preview of my interview with "america's got talent's" nick cannon. in 2, building up our wireless network all across america. we're adding new cell sites... increasing network capacity, and investing billions of dollars to improve your wireless network experience. from a single phone call to the most advanced data download, we're covering more people in more places than ever before in an effort to give you the best network possible. at&t. rethink possible.

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on monday we've got an hour with the winners from "america's got talent" and the she's host, nick cannon. listen to what he has to say about his wife marree and the new twins. >> your wife is delightful. >> i hate when you see that. >> she looks sexy, beautiful. >> i know there's a nasty undertone you say. every time you saw something about my wife i can imagine what you're thinking. >> the reason you don't like is you know she's always quite flirtatious around me. that's what annoys me. >> no, you're overly flirtatiou