Former US First Lady Michelle Obama opened up this week about her eldest daughter Malia’s decision to drop the iconic “Obama” surname from her professional work — and addressed long-swirling rumors about her marriage to former President Barack Obama.
Speaking on the Sibling Revelry podcast hosted by Kate and Oliver Hudson, Michelle reflected on how both Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23, have grown into independent young women determined to forge their own paths, away from the towering shadows of the White House and their parents’ political legacy.
“It is very important for my kids to feel like they’ve earned what they are getting in the world,” Michelle shared.
“They don’t want people to assume that they don’t work hard, that they’re just naturally handed things. They’re very sensitive to that — they want to be their own people.”
Malia’s Bold Move in Hollywood
A perfect example of that determination came when Malia, now an emerging filmmaker, chose to drop her last name on her debut short film The Heart, which premiered at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in 2024.
Credited simply as Malia Ann, she took a deliberate step to sidestep the immediate recognition that comes with being an Obama.
“We were like, ‘They’re still going to know it’s you, Malia,’” Michelle quipped during the podcast, but added that both she and Barack respected their daughter’s desire to carve out her own identity on her own terms.
Barack Obama echoed that sentiment in a previous interview on The Pivot Podcast, recounting how he’d playfully warned Malia that audiences would inevitably make the connection.
“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 [with the Obama last name].’”
Parenting Under the Spotlight
Michelle reflected on the challenges of raising daughters inside the fishbowl of the White House, noting that both Malia and Sasha “didn’t want to be little princesses.” They were eager, even as teenagers, to experience the world beyond the gates of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
“They needed some rope,” Michelle admitted. “They wanted to try some things. They wanted to be out in the world. And I knew that under the circumstances, they needed to have more rope than I probably would have given them if I were my mother.”
Now that both daughters are young adults, Michelle said, they have a clearer understanding of why their parents made certain decisions.
“As they’re older, I think they are embracing our parenting principles. They understand us as full human beings now — in the same way that I discovered that about my parents when I went away to college.”
Addressing Divorce Rumors Head-On
Alongside reflecting on family and motherhood, Michelle also addressed persistent public speculation about the state of her marriage — a subject that has flared up over the years, especially during moments when the couple’s appearances have been less frequent, such as during Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration.
In an earlier episode of actress Sophia Bush’s podcast Work in Progress, Michelle firmly pushed back against the divorce rumors, framing them as a symptom of society’s tendency to box women into limiting stereotypes.
“You know, that — this couldn’t be a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself, right?” she said.
“But that’s what society does to us. We start actually, finally, like going, what am I? What am I doing? Who am I doing this for?”
Michelle suggested that any deviation from the expected script — particularly for women in the public eye — is often unfairly labeled as “negative and horrible.”
