Larsa Pippen, 49, admitted that she felt “embarrassed” by Michael Jordan’s comments after the former NBA player, 60 revealed that he doesn’t approve of her relationship with his son Marcus, 32. Larsa addressed Michael’s comments alongside Marcus on their podcast Separation Anxiety on Tuesday, July 11. The episode was aptly titled “Father Knows Best?!,” but Marcus reiterated that his dad actually does support their relationship, and he has a better understanding of his dad’s sense of humor and comments.
When Larsa opened up, she admitted that she wasn’t amused by the coverage, especially after she had said that their families got along fine. “I didn’t think it was funny,” she said. “I was like traumatized. I’m like, ‘Oh, my God. What are we going to do?’ People think I lied.”
Earlier in the conversation, Marcus said that he got texts from Michael after he was first questioned and again when the article about his coverage came out. Marcus mentioned that his dad had been on vacation, and he suggested that he may have imbibed a bit of tequila before being asked by the reporter.
While Larsa may not have been amused, Marcus said that he thought it was “hilarious,” and quickly brushed off the coverage. He also said that Michael texting him helped put Larsa at ease. “I know my dad, and I know—obviously, my whole family, we’re competitive. The Jordans, part of our DNA is to talk s**t, and it gets us going, gets us motivated,” he said. “I thought, he’s playing. He’s being joking. He’s laughing. He’s just being playful, maybe lit.”
After breaking down what had happened, Larsa said she felt “good,” knowing about how his dad acts, and she felt at ease after speaking to Marcus. Her boyfriend continued and explained that his dad “supports” him and his siblings’ personal relationships.
Michael’s feelings about his son’s relationship with Larsa were revealed in a video released by TMZ in early July. A photographer asked if he approved of Marcus’ relationship, and the former Bulls player simply responded, “No.” When they asked again, he seemed to shake his head. Following MJ’s disapproval, a source close to the pair revealed that they were planning on speaking about the situation on the podcast in a report from Us Weekly. “Marcus and Larsa are really happy and focusing on their relationship,” the insider said.
Larsa and Michael’s connection started long before she started dating his son. She was married to MJ’s former Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen from 1997 until 2021. The Real Housewives of Miami star was married to the NBA player while he and Michael were two of the biggest stars on the Chicago Bulls. Despite playing together, Michael and Scottie have been known to not get along and have a bit of a rivalry. Since the split, Larsa and Scottie have been dedicated to co-parenting their children.
While Michael said he doesn’t approve of their relationship, it wasn’t clear if was kidding or showing true disapproval. This hasn’t been the first time that Larsa has defended her and Marcus’ relationship. When she got heckled at a football game in November 2022, she admitted that her family wasn’t close to MJ’s. “I was 21 yrs old and in college when Scottie played that one year w MJ and we weren’t friends with them like everyone thinks,” she wrote in an Instagram comment.
Larsa did claim that both families got along fine during an interview on The Tamron Hall Show in March. “It’s not about my parents, or his parents. They’re all happy. Our whole family is fine. I feel it’s more about where I am and where he is. I feel like we’re in a great place,” she said.
Larsa and Marcus were first spotted spending time together at the end of 2022, and they confirmed their romance at the beginning of 2023. They went Instagram official when Larsa shared a photo of them together towards the end of January.
Since getting together, the pair have shared plenty of PDA photos with one another on their respective Instagrams. Larsa shared a photo of the two of them kissing at the beginning of July. She captioned the post, “Je t’aime,” which translates to “I love you.”