Barack Obama Reacts To Daughter Malia Dropping Her Last Name Professionally

Former President Barack Obama is 100% supportive of his daughter Malia making films under a professional name.

It was reported earlier this year that Malia Obama, 26, dropped her famous last name  in the credits for The Heart, a short film that marks her directorial debut. The Heart was screened at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where the director was credited as Malia Ann a moniker taken from her first and middle names.

Malia also wrote The Heart, after previously writing for Prime Videos Swarm alongside actor and musician Donald Glover .

In a new interview on the podcast The Pivot , the former president who shares Malia and her sister, Sasha , 23, with former first lady Michelle Obama offered his take on his eldest childs decision. 

The challenge for us is letting us give them any help at all, Obama said during the Oct. 29 episode. I mean, theyre very sensitive about this stuff. Theyre very stubborn about it.

The former president said he advised Malia that people would still know they were related, despite her using a different name professionally.

I was all like, You do know theyll know who you are, Obama recalled. And shes all like, You know what? I want them to watch it that first time and not in any way have that association. So I think our daughters go out of their way to not try to leverage that.

The proud dad then gushed about Malia being in all these fancy film festivals.

Barack and Michelle Obama have also gotten involved in the Hollywood realm with their company Higher Ground Productions, which has produced hit films like Netflixs Leave the World Behind and Rustin. (Perhaps inevitably, Malia has faced accusations of being a nepo baby since entering the industry herself.)

On The Pivot, the former president told hosts Channing Crowder, Fred Taylor and Ryan Clark about how his mother-in-law helped raise his daughters, and that everybody was on watch to make sure that they both had a normal childhood, and that they did not feel as if they got something that they hadnt earned. 

Theyve turned out amazing, Obama added of his daughters with a smile. I cant brag about them enough.

Watch Obamas interview below.