According to Michaels, the transformation didn’t happen overnight. It was a gradual process that accelerated when reality began conflicting with the political messaging she was hearing every day.
And once that process started, she said there was no going back.
A Political Awakening
Michaels told Rubin that she spent much of her life believing that progressives occupied the moral high ground.
“I really did think that when you’re on the left, you’re the empathetic one, you’re the good guy, you’re the one that cares about people,” she said.
That worldview began to change after she married a conservative.
Like many couples with different political beliefs, disagreements became common. But rather than pushing her deeper into her existing views, those conversations encouraged her to question assumptions she had rarely examined before.
Then came the COVID era.
For Michaels, that period marked a turning point.
“I started learning that all the news I had been ingesting was a lie,” she said. “COVID did not come from a bat in a wet market. Russia, Russia, Russia wasn’t real.”
Whether Americans agree with all of Michaels’ conclusions or not, her comments reflect a growing frustration among millions of voters who feel they were repeatedly misled by political leaders, media outlets, and public institutions.
Many Americans who once trusted those institutions now openly question them.
Michaels argues that this loss of trust did not happen by accident.
Leaving California Behind
In 2021, Michaels relocated her family from California to Wyoming.
The move represented more than a change of scenery.
It was a decision rooted in concerns about the direction of the state where she built her career and spent much of her life.
Today, she says she worries about what California’s future holds.
During her conversation with Rubin, Michaels pointed to political developments in Los Angeles and statewide leadership battles as examples of what she believes are deeper problems affecting the state.
“I want to get the kids set up,” she said. “I worry about them making a living in this environment.”
For many families leaving high-cost states, those concerns sound familiar.
Questions about affordability, crime, housing costs, taxes, and economic opportunity have become major factors driving migration patterns across the country.
Michaels believes those issues are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
The Media’s Role
One of Michaels’ strongest criticisms was directed at the media environment she says discourages independent thinking.
According to her, many Americans are repeatedly exposed to the same political narratives until opposing viewpoints become nearly impossible to consider.
“All the news they watch tells them that we are fascists, we are racists, we are Nazis,” she said.
Michaels argued that when people hear the same message constantly, they often dismiss alternative perspectives before even considering them.
“They look at you like you’ve got a tinfoil hat on,” she said.
She also suggested that political division is not merely a byproduct of modern media but an intentional feature.
“It is engineered,” she said. “It is designed to engage us in a horizontal fight so we never look up and fight the real enemy.”
Then, with a laugh, she added: “Which is Gavin Newsom, by the way, in case you were wondering.”
The Moment People Change
Perhaps the most striking part of Michaels’ interview was her explanation of what actually causes people to reconsider their political beliefs.
She doesn’t believe most people change their minds because of debates, speeches, or political advertisements.
Instead, she says change happens when government policies or cultural movements begin affecting people personally.
“It comes for everyone,” she said. “Let’s just hope it’s not too late.”
Michaels argued that her own political shift was driven less by ideology and more by lived experience.
She pointed to issues ranging from public health messaging during COVID to cultural debates surrounding obesity and wellness.
Over time, she concluded that many of the institutions she once trusted were no longer deserving of that trust.
Her story echoes similar journeys described by a growing number of public figures who have distanced themselves from the political Left in recent years.
Whether it is actors, comedians, media personalities, or business leaders, the pattern often looks remarkably similar.
Many were lifelong liberals.
Many supported progressive causes.
And many say their political transformation began only after they experienced the consequences of policies or narratives they had once defended.
For Michaels, that realization changed everything.
Rather than being persuaded by conservative arguments alone, she says she was pushed toward a different worldview after repeatedly watching events unfold in ways that contradicted what she had been told to believe.
That message may be uncomfortable for Democrats and media organizations that rely on public trust.
But as more former liberals openly share similar stories, it is becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss those concerns as isolated incidents.
And that is precisely why Michaels’ comments are likely to resonate far beyond one podcast interview.
