Michelle Obama Just Reacted to Malia Dropping Her Last Name as She Reveals Her Daughters Are Trying to ‘Push Away’ From Her
Jason Pham
Malia Obama is now Malia Ann. The eldest daughter of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama changed her last name from “Obama” to her middle name, “Ann,” and her family support her decision.
Why did Malia Obama change her last name?
Michelle revealed in an interview on the “Sibling Revelry” podcast in June 2025 that Malia had changed her name professionally because she’s “trying to make her way” as a director without the influence of her famous parents.
“I mean, it is very important for my kids to feel like they’ve earned what they are getting in the world, and they don’t want people to assume that they don’t work hard, that they’re just naturally, just handed things,” Michelle said on the podcast, which is co-hosted by Kate and Oliver Hudson. “They’re very sensitive to that — they want to be their own people.”
Michelle explained that both Malia and her younger sister, Sasha, have wanted to set themselves apart from the Obama name ever since they were teenagers. “Our daughters [Malia and Sasha] are 25 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,” Michelle said.
Malia first hinted she was no longer going by “Obama” as her last name when she debuted her movie, The Heart, at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The credits of the movie, which Malia wrote and directed, listed her as “Malia Ann” instead of “Malia Obama.” Malia’s middle name “Ann” also holds family significance, as it’s the first name of Barack’s late mother, Ann Dunham, who died in 1995. “We were like, they’re still going to know it’s you, Malia,” Michelle said. “But we respected the fact that she’s trying to make her way.”
Michelle also explained how her relationship with with her daughters has changed now that they’re older. “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,” she 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.”
Barack, for his part, reacted to Malia changing her last name in an episode of “The Pivot Podcast” in October 2024. “I was all like, ‘You do know they’ll know who you are,’ ” Barack said at the time. “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.’ So I think our daughters go out of their way to not try to leverage that.”
He continued, “The challenge for [Michelle and me] is letting us give them any help at all,” the former president said at the time. “I mean they’re very sensitive about this stuff. They’re very stubborn about it.”
Barack also revealed to the podcast that both Malia and Sasha haven’t enjoyed the attention they’ve received as former First Daughters. “Their attitude is, ‘We’re not looking for all that,’ ” he said. “So they’re grounded.”
Barack also explained how he tried to maintain his family’s private life when he was president. “I said, ‘You can follow me around,’ ” he said. “‘You can talk about me. You do whatever you need to do. Leave my children alone because they have the right to grow up. They didn’t choose this. Let them grow up.’ And to the credit of the press they did leave them alone.”
Malia isn’t the only famous child to change her last name. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s daughter, Shiloh, filed to drop “Pitt” from her last name on her 18th birthday in May 2024 amid her estranged relationship with her father. A source told People at the time that Brad was “upset” by the move.
“He’s aware and upset that Shiloh dropped his last name. He’s never felt more joy than when she was born. He always wanted a daughter,” the insider said. “The reminders that he’s lost his children, is of course not easy for Brad. He loves his children and misses them. It’s very sad.”
The source continued, “He still loves all of his kids tremendously. This whole process has been very hard for the whole family.”
