Michelle Obama Breaks Silence on Malia’s Name Change—And Her Reaction May Surprise You

Michelle Obama has finally responded to daughter Malia’s decision to drop the “Obama” surname in her professional work—and it’s not the reaction many expected.

Malia Steps Into Hollywood—Without the Famous Last Name

At 26, Malia is carving out her path in Hollywood. Instead of following in her parents’ political footsteps, she’s stepping into the creative spotlight. She wrote and directed a short film titled The Heart, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024. But in the credits, she listed herself simply as Malia Ann, choosing to omit the iconic last name entirely.

Michelle Gets Candid on the “Sibling Revelry” Podcast

During an appearance on the Sibling Revelry podcast with Kate and Oliver Hudson (June 4), Michelle, 61, shared her honest reaction.

Her first instinct? She told Malia, “They’re still going to know it’s you, Malia.”

She explained that her daughters are in a stage of life where they’re pushing for independence. “They are young adult women, but they definitely went through a period in their teen years where it was the push away… They’re still doing that,” Michelle said.

“They Want to Earn It”

Michelle emphasized that both Malia and her younger sister Sasha, 23, are determined to earn success on their own.

“It’s very important for my kids to feel like they’ve earned what they are getting,” she said. “They don’t want people to assume that they don’t work hard, or that things were just handed to them.”

She added that her daughters are “very sensitive” to those assumptions and “want to be their own people.”

A Parent’s Support—With Realism

Despite the name change, Michelle and Barack respected Malia’s choice.

“She took off her last name, and we were like, they’re still going to know it’s you, Malia,” Michelle admitted. “But we respected the fact that she’s trying to make her way.”