Michelle Obama Can't Hide Her Salty Attitude About Malia Changing Her Name

Being a child in the public eye isn't easy. And no one knows what it's like growing up with famous parents quite like Malia and Sasha Obama do. The Obama sisters have undergone a stunning transformation right in front of the world's eyes and it's clear that their parents are proud of the women they've become. Based on what Michelle Obama said in a recent interview, though, she may have taken issue with at least one choice 25-year-old Malia made as she embarked upon adulthood: dropping the "Obama" from her name.

Malia goes by a different name for her film career, and her dad Barack Obama spilled the real reason she dropped her last name. While appearing on "The Pivot Podcast" in 2024, he explained that Malia went by "Malia Ann" in the credits for her 2023 short film, "The Heart." Barack recalled Malia explaining to him why she dropped her last name in lieu of her middle name, saying, "I want them to watch it that first time and not in any way have that association." Now, while appearing on Kate and Oliver Hudson's "Sibling Revelry" podcast, Michelle recalled learning that Malia wouldn't be going by Obama and it sounds like she was a bit skeptical. "Malia, who started in film, I mean, her first project — she took off her last name," she said, adding, "[W]e were like, they're still going to know it's you, Malia." 

It's clear that Malia Obama's desire to distance herself from her famous last name has a lot to do with the pressure of growing up in the spotlight. "[I]t is very important for my kids to feel like they've earned what they are getting in the world, and they don't want people to assume that they don't work hard, that they're just naturally... handed things," Michelle Obama explained on the "Sibling Revelry" podcast, adding, "They're very sensitive to that; they want to be their own people."

Wanting to be her own person and forge her own path in the world of film was clearly the idea behind Malia's name change. And while Michelle might have initially been perplexed by the idea, she did note, "[W]e respected the fact that she's trying to make her way." Malia's film, "The Heart," premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. In a promo video for the event, Malia noted that she hoped the short would make people "feel a bit less lonely or at least [remind them] not to forget about the people who are."