Barack Obama reveals why daughter Malia dropped her last name to debut her first film

Barack Obama discusses the pressures his daughters Malia and Sasha face having prominent parents.

Malia Obama is forging her own path ahead. When the former first daughter made her short film debut at Sundance in January she did so sans her last name.

During an appearance on “The Pivot Podcast,” former President Barack Obama revealed that his now 26-year-old eldest daughter used a different surname in the credits of her short film “The Heart,” which she wrote and directed with the help of Donald Glover.

According to her father, instead of using Obama, she submitted the film under her first and middle names, Malia Ann.

“The challenge for us is letting us give them any help, at all,” Obama explained when asked how he encourages his daughters to make their own way.

“They’re very sensitive about this stuff. They’re very stubborn about it,” he continued. “Malia, she’s making movies, so she made her first movie. And, you know, I’ll be a dad, I’ll brag a little bit…her first film went to Sundance and all these fancy film festivals, and she didn’t use Obama as director on the credits.”

The former president said when he explained to his daughter that regardless of the omission, it would be inevitable that many viewers would know who she is, she said, “I want them to watch it that first time and not in any way have that association.”

He added, “So I think our daughters go out of their way to not try to leverage that.”

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Malia’s film, which runs 18 minutes and tells the story of a son grappling with guilt after his mother dies, debuted at Sundance to mixed reviews. While some labeled her a “nepo baby,” others noted her skill and potential.

Obama made the reveal during a discussion with the podcast’s former NFL star hosts, Fred Taylor, and Channing Crowder, about how their children navigate building their own lives with the pressures of prominent parents.

The 63-year-old noted his daughters’ aversion to visibility was fostered during their time at the White House. He recalled having to negotiate on some level with the White House press to keep his daughters out of the narrative.

“They didn’t choose this, right? Let them grow up,” he said. “And to the credit of the press, they did leave them alone. Now, as they’ve gotten older, there’s been some paparazzi stuff going on, and it drives them nuts, you know, because their attitude is, ‘We’re not looking for all that.’ So they’re grounded.”

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