Barack and Michelle Obama’s eldest daughter, Malia, has decided to drop her famous last name. Going forward, Malia will be known only as Malia Ann.
Malia Ann uses her middle name in her film projects and artistic pursuits. She is credited as Malia Ann in her short film “The Heart” which she wrote and directed. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024.
Former President Obama published an open letter to Malia Ann and her sister Sasha in Parade magazine. He said that he wanted her to grow up to be a compassionate person with no limits on her dreams.
Michelle Obama commented on her daughter’s name change in a podcast co-hosted by Oliver and Kate Hudson on Wednesday, June 4. The former first lady said she respects that Malia is trying to “make her way” in life without her parents’ influence.
Michelle said: “She took off her last name, and we were like, they’re still going to know it’s you, Malia. But we respected the fact that she’s trying to make her way.”
“You’re trying to distinguish yourself, I mean it is very important for my kids to feel like they’ve earned what they are getting in the world,” she said. “And they don’t want people to assume that they don’t work hard, that they’re just naturally just handed things. They’re very sensitive to that.”
Your favorite blogger pointed out Malia’s independent streak in a 2008 blog post titled “Obama’s daughter is only 10?” The post went viral and CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer commented on it in a segment on his news show.
