For years, the world has watched the Obama daughters grow up in the spotlight. Now, at 26, Malia Obama has taken a bold step in shaping her own identity—one that involves dropping her famous last name in her professional career.
While much has been said about Michelle Obama’s reaction, many have wondered: what did her father, former President Barack Obama, think?
Malia made headlines earlier this year when it was revealed that she chose to go by Malia Ann—her first and middle names—on her creative projects. Her directorial debut, a short film titled The Heart, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024, where audiences first noticed the credit line bearing only her two given names.
Michelle Obama, 61, addressed the decision during her appearance on the podcast Sibling Revelry hosted by Kate and Oliver Hudson. She admitted her first instinct was to remind her daughter that fame is inescapable: “They’re still going to know it’s you, Malia.” But she quickly added that she and Barack understood the deeper reasoning.
The former First Lady explained that both Malia and Sasha, 23, are “very sensitive” about assumptions tied to their family background. “It is very crucial for my kids to feel like they’ve earned what they are getting in the world,” Michelle said. “They don’t want people to assume that they don’t work hard, that things are just handed to them.”
Michelle also acknowledged that this was part of a natural evolution: “Our daughters are young adult women. They definitely went through a period in their teen years where it was the push away… and they’re still doing that.”
But while Michelle’s take was one of understanding, Barack’s initial reaction carried a touch of humor mixed with fatherly concern. Speaking on The Pivot Podcast last October, the 63-year-old former president recalled what he told Malia when she shared her decision: “I was all like, ‘You do know they’ll know who you are.’”
Malia, he said, explained that she wanted audiences to focus on her work rather than her last name. “She’s all like, ‘I want them to watch [my film] that first time and not in any way have that association,’” Barack shared.
He admitted that both daughters make a conscious effort to avoid leveraging their parents’ fame. “Our daughters go out of their way not to try to leverage that,” he said. “The challenge for us is letting us give them any help at all. They’re very sensitive about this stuff. They’re very stubborn about it.”
For Barack and Michelle, it’s a delicate balance between guiding their daughters and respecting their independence. For Malia, it’s a declaration that her creative journey will be defined not by her last name, but by her talent.