Michelle Obama shared how she and husband Barack Obama reacted when their daughter Malia Obama told them she would no longer use her surname professionally.
Michelle stated that when she and her husband were informed that Malia would no longer use the family’s moniker in her professional work, they had to ‘keep it real’—especially given that, after living in the White House for eight years, anonymity is hard to come by.
“Malia, who started in film, I mean her first project she took off her last name,” Michelle said to Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson on the Sibling Revelry podcast June 3.
“And we’re like, ‘They’re still going to know it’s you, Malia.’ But we respect that she’s trying to make her way.”
Malia debuted the name change in February 2024 during the premiere of her film project The Heart. Fans noticed that the eldest Obama daughter’s moniker read Malia Ann in the credits at the Sundance Institute’s “Meet the Artist” spotlight video.
The former first couple, who also share daughter Sasha Obama, 23, understand their kids need to “push away.”
“Our daughters are 26 and 23. They are young adult women, but they definitely went through a period in their teens years where it was the push away,” Michelle explained.
“They’re still doing that. You’re trying to distinguish yourself. It’s 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 they don’t work hard, that they’re just naturally handed things. They’re very sensitive to that.”
Michelle also reflected on catering her parenting techniques to suit her girls as they navigated growing up in the White House, and how that inspired them to be the women they are today.
“Now that they’re older they are embracing our parenting principles,” Michelle said.
“They have clear understanding of why we did a lot of what we did. They understand us as full human beings now. In the same way I think that I discovered that with my parents when I went away to college.”
“Our daughters they definitely didn’t want to be little princesses in the White House,” Michelle added.
“They wanted to push the envelope. They needed some rope. They wanted to try some things. They wanted to be out in the world. And I knew under the circumstances they probably needed more rope than I could have given them if I was my mother.”
