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| Former American president Barack Obama |
Former American president Barack Obama has finally reacted to the news of his firstborn daughter, Malia, whom he shares with human rights activist, author, and actress Michelle Obama, dropping her famous surname.
According to the politician-turned-author and voice-over artist, he understands why the 26-year-old creative would prefer a stage name instead of entering offices with her dad’s powerful surname.
In February, while debuting her film The Heart at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, the 26-year-old made headlines by dropping her family name, opting instead to use only her first and middle names, going by Malia Ann for her directorial debut.
Speaking about his daughter’s decision during a guest appearance on the “Pivot” podcast, Barack noted that Malia’s choice hadn’t surprised him much.
However, he did have a candid conversation with her, cautioning the aspiring filmmaker to remember that dropping his name wouldn’t completely hide her connection to her famous parents.
“Her first film went to Sundance and all these fancy film festivals, and she didn’t use Obama as a director on the credits… and I was all like, ‘You do know they’ll know who you are,’” the former head of state said with a chuckle.
According to the father of two, Malia’s aim was to have the audience watch her film, The Heart, without any associations related to the Obama family.
“And she’s all like, ‘You know what? I want them to watch it that first time and not in any way have that association,’” the 63-year-old proudly noted, emphasizing that both his daughters have expressed a desire not to use their status to get ahead.
In conclusion, he stated, “I think our daughters go out of their way to not try to leverage that. The challenge for us is letting us give them any help at all. I mean, they’re very sensitive about this stuff. They’re very stubborn about it.” He added that his kids dislike the press and paparazzi attention they receive as they grow older.
“Now, as they’ve gotten older, there’s been some paparazzi stuff going on, and it drives them nuts because their attitude is, ‘We’re not looking for all that.’ So they’re grounded,” Barack shared.
The former U.S. president and his wife, Michelle, have two daughters: Malia, aged 26, and Sasha, 23.
by HANNIE PETRA