Michelle Obama finally reveals what is really happening with Malia’s new name
Malia Obama’s Name Change and Her Family’s Thoughts
Growing Up in the White House
Malia Obama and her younger sister, Sasha, grew up in the White House. Their dad is Barack Obama, who was the President of the United States. Their mom is Michelle Obama. For many years, the family had to live with lots of rules and people watching them all the time. When Barack was president, Malia was ten years old and Sasha was seven.
Life inside the White House was special but also hard. The girls had to be careful about what they did. Michelle says it was not easy to keep their family life private. She has talked about this on podcasts and in interviews. "It was a lot of work and it got harder as they got older," Michelle said.
Why Malia Used a Different Name
Now, Malia is grown up. She is 26 years old. Sasha is 23. Both girls are now young women. They want to make their own way in the world. Malia wants to be known for what she does, not just because she is the daughter of a famous president.
Malia made a short film called "The Heart." For the movie, she used her middle name, Ann, as her last name in the credits. She did not use "Obama." This surprised some people. But Malia wanted people to see her work first, not just think about her famous family.
Michelle talked about this on the Sibling Revelry podcast with Kate and Oliver Hudson. She said, "It is very important for my kids to feel like they've earned what they are getting in the world." Michelle explained that Malia and Sasha want to be seen as their own people. They do not want others to think things are just handed to them.
Michelle added, "Our daughters are 26 and 23. They are young adult women, but they definitely went through a period in their teen years where it was the push away ... [where] you're trying to distinguish yourself." She said that when Malia took her last name off her movie, the family understood. They knew that people would still know it was Malia. But they respected her choice.
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Making Their Own Choices
Michelle said Malia and Sasha now understand their parents better. When they were little, they did not really know how important their parents' jobs were. But as they got older, they learned more. "As they're older, I think they are embracing our parenting principles. They have a clearer understanding of why we did a lot of what we did," Michelle said.
Barack Obama’s Thoughts on Malia’s Career
Barack Obama is very proud of Malia. He spoke about her on The Pivot Podcast. Barack said that Malia’s first film went to big film festivals like Sundance. Even though Malia did not use "Obama" as her last name, the movie still got attention.
Barack shared, "[Malia's] first film went to Sundance and all these fancy film festivals, and she didn't use Obama as director on the credits." He said Malia wanted people to watch her movie without thinking about her last name. She wanted to be seen for her own work. Barack added, "So I think our daughters go out of their way to not try to leverage that." This means Malia and Sasha do not use their family name to get special things.
Michelle Obama Talks About Parenting
Lessons Michelle Learned as a Mom
Being a parent in the White House was hard. Michelle tried to raise her daughters like any other kids. But it was not always easy. She shared on her podcast, IMO, that she sometimes spanked Malia and Sasha when they were not listening. Now, Michelle feels differently about this.
She said, "I felt silly. It took a couple of spankings for me to be like, 'yeah, you know what? I don't want to do this anymore.'" Michelle realized spanking did not really help. She felt embarrassed for not being able to think of a better way to teach her kids. "And the fact that I can't think of any better way to get my point across than to smack somebody on the butt - I felt embarrassed," she said.
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Michelle also talked about how some parents try to live their kids’ lives for them. She said, "Parents are too afraid to set those kinds of boundaries. And I think that’s also part of the challenge that we’re facing in this generation." Michelle believes kids need to make mistakes and learn from them.
Living as Regular Teenagers
Even though Malia and Sasha were the president’s daughters, Michelle and Barack wanted them to have normal lives. But it was hard to keep them out of the news. Michelle said, "Every weekend was a nightmare. Because we had to work to make sure that them being regular teenagers didn't wind up on Page Six." That means she did not want news stories about her daughters’ normal teenage activities.
Malia and Sasha still went to school, went to prom, played on teams, and even tried things like smoking or having a drink, just like other teenagers. But for them, even small things could become big news.
Barack and Michelle Obama’s Marriage
How the Presidency Affected Their Relationship
Barack and Michelle Obama got married in 1992. They moved into the White House in 2009. Barack was president until 2017. Being president was a big job and it was hard on their marriage. Barack has talked about this in public.
One time, Barack said, "I was in a deep deficit with my wife. So I have been trying to dig myself out of that hole by doing occasionally fun things." This means he felt he needed to make up for times when he was too busy.
Michelle is open about their marriage too. She once shared that Barack had to learn to be on time. She said on her podcast, "Barack, you know, he had to adjust to what 'on time' was for me." Michelle joked that Barack was used to "island time" because he grew up in Hawaii.
Michelle explained, "When it's time to leave, it's 3, he's getting up and going to the bathroom. And I was like, dude, dude, a 3 o'clock departure means you've done all that, you know? It's like, don't start looking for your glasses, you know, at the 3 o'clock departure." Over the years, Barack learned to be on time more often, and their daughters learned to arrive early if they were doing anything with Michelle.
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Barack Obama’s Political Views on Donald Trump
Barack Obama Criticizes Trump’s Policies
Barack Obama and Donald Trump have very different ideas. Obama does not agree with many of Trump’s decisions. He talked about this at Hamilton College in New York. Barack said, "I have deep differences of opinion with my most immediate successor — who’s now president once again." This means he strongly disagrees with Trump, who became president after him.
Obama said he believes the government should have strong values. He feels that those values are not as strong now. "There are a host of policies that we could be discussing where I have strong opinions," he said.
Controversy With Harvard University
Recently, the government froze $2.3 billion in federal money to Harvard University. This happened after Harvard did not agree to a list of rules from the Trump administration. The White House said the rules were to fight antisemitism on campus. Some of these rules included big changes to hiring and teaching.
Harvard did not want to agree to all the rules. The college president, Alan Garber, said, "Although some of the demands outlined by the government are aimed at combating antisemitism, the majority represent direct governmental regulation of the 'intellectual conditions' at Harvard." He believed the government was trying to control the college too much.
Barack Obama shared his opinion online. He wrote, "Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions – rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking concrete steps to make sure all students at Harvard can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect. Let’s hope other institutions follow suit."
The Department of Education did not agree. They said, "Harvard's statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation's most prestigious universities and colleges." This means the government thinks colleges are acting like they deserve special treatment.
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Big Changes on Campus
The Trump administration wanted Harvard to make changes. They asked for things like ending diversity programs and making sure admissions and hiring were only based on merit. They also wanted a ban on face masks, which seemed to target some student protesters.
Harvard said they are working to stop antisemitism. But they did not want the government to control teaching and learning at the school. The college said, "This wouldn't be achieved through assertions of power, unmoored from the law, to control teaching and learning at Harvard and to dictate how we operate."
There were even protests on campus because of these demands. Students and teachers did not agree with all of the government’s ideas.
The Obama Family’s Journey
Making Their Own Path
The Obamas are still a famous family, even after leaving the White House. But now, they are living more normal lives. Malia and Sasha want to build their own futures. They want to be known for who they are, not just their last name.
Michelle and Barack support their daughters. They are proud of Malia for making her own choices, like using a different name for her film. They want both girls to work hard and be their own people.
Michelle said, "They understand us as full human beings now, in the same way that I think I discovered that about my parents when I went away to college." This means Malia and Sasha now know more about their parents as people, not just as mom and dad.
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Parenting in the Public Eye
Raising kids in the White House was not easy. Everything the girls did could be seen by the world. Michelle and Barack did their best to let Malia and Sasha grow up like regular kids. They tried to teach them good values and let them learn from their mistakes.
Michelle now talks openly about things she would do differently as a mom. She hopes other parents can learn from her experiences. She encourages setting rules but also letting kids make their own choices.
Family Life After the White House
The Obamas left the White House in 2017. Since then, they have shared more about their lives. Michelle has written books and hosts a podcast. Barack is working on his memoirs and gives speeches about important topics.
Michelle and Barack both talk about their marriage and family in public. They are honest about the hard times but also laugh about funny things, like Barack being late. After 30 years of marriage, they have learned a lot about each other.
Their daughters, Malia and Sasha, are now adults. They are making their own way in the world. The Obamas support them and are proud of the strong, smart women they have become.
What Malia’s Story Teaches Us
Malia’s decision to use a different last name shows she wants to be seen for her own hard work. She does not want special treatment just because of her family. Her story is about being brave, working hard, and making your own path.
Michelle and Barack’s support shows how important it is to let children find their own way. They teach us that even famous families have challenges and can learn from each other.
The Obamas’ story reminds us that families can be strong, even when life is hard. With love, respect, and understanding, everyone can grow and do great things.
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