Barack Obama’s daughter Malia drops surname – Here’s why

Barack and Michelle Obama’s eldest daughter, Malia, has dropped her surname professionally, distancing herself from her family’s legacy.

MALIA NO LONGER USING THE OBAMA SURNAME

The 25-year-old, who is pursuing a career as a filmmaker in Hollywood, no longer uses the Obama surname – E! Online reports.

According to the American publication, Malia opted for her middle name, officially going by Malia Ann. This reportedly came during the premiere of her short film The Heart at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

In a recent teaser, Obama described the film as an “odd little story, somewhat of a fable about a man grieving the death of his mother after she leaves him an unusual request in her will.”

While the film (which was produced by Donald Glover’s company Gilg) was Malia’s first film-directing project, it was not her first film. Malia already has writing credits as a staff writer on Glover’s Amazon Prime show Swarm.

BARACK AND MICHELLE NOT IN ATTENDANCE

Reports suggest that the Havard graduate is looking to forge her own path away from her celebrity parents who also launched careers in the entertainment industry with Higher Ground Productions. Malia made the decision in a bid to avoid the nepotism discourse.

However, fans are not convinced that this is the only reason she dropped the Obama surname.

This is because the former United States (US) president and his wife, who are now movie moguls, did not attend the 2024 Sundance Film Festival earlier this month, when Malia made her red carpet debut at the premiere of The Heart.

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