Barack Obama breaks silence on daughter Malia dropping his name: ‘I was all like…'

Barack Obama expressed pride in daughter Malia's choice to drop the family name for her film career. Malia, debuted at Sundance 2024 as ‘Malia Ann.’

Former President of the United States, Barack Obama, recently shared his thoughts on daughter Malia's decision to drop the family name as she steps into her own career. Malia, who debuted her film The Heart at Sundance 2024, opted to go by "Malia Ann," a choice that didn’t surprise her father. She proudly walked the red carpet following the premiere and gave interviews, all without leveraging the benefits of the Obama name.

President Barack Obama with his daughter Malia who graduated from the prominent Sidwell Friends School in Washington DC last Friday.(AP file photo)

Reflecting on his daughters' grounded outlook amid public attention, Obama proudly shared how they've embraced their own paths without leaning on the spotlight he once held.

Barack Obama's feelings on Malia dropping name

Barack and Michelle Obama's oldest daughter made a big splash in February when she started her movie-making career in Hollywood. She decided to change her name to Malia Ann, joining a bunch of A-list stars who are choosing to ditch their well-known last names. In the Sundance Institute's Meet the Artist video, she was shown as Malia Ann.

“Her first film went to Sundance and all these fancy film festivals and she didn’t use Obama as a director on the credits,” Obama said during Pivot podcast on Tuesday’s episode. The former president, currently busy campaigning for democratic nominee Kamala Harris in key states, described his reaction to his daughter’s decision and said, “I was all like, ‘You do know they’ll know who you are,” according to PageSix.

Before making her Hollywood debut, Malia gained experience interning for an HBO show and with Harvey Weinstein’s production company. She further honed her skills as a staff writer on Donald Glover's Amazon Prime series Swarm. Now, as she steps into filmmaking with her debut project, The Heart, Malia, according to her father, Barack Obama, hopes audiences will view her work without the lens of the Obama family connection. “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,'” Obama said.

Obama on Malia’s Hollywood independence

Discussing Malia’s decision, Barack Obama shared insight into his daughter’s independent approach. Both Barack and Michelle, who now run Higher Ground Productions, noted that Malia and Sasha are determined to build their own careers without leveraging their parents' influence. "Our challenge," Barack explained, “is that they hardly want us involved. They’re very sensitive and quite stubborn about it.”

Obama shared that his daughters have been getting more attention, especially from paparazzi, as they pursue their own careers and identities. He admitted to warning them that people would still see them as his daughters, despite their efforts to step out on their own. "Now, as they've gotten older, there's been some paparazzi stuff going on, and it drives them nuts," he said. “Their attitude is, ‘We're not looking for all that.' So they're grounded.”

Several celebrity children have chosen to drop their famous parents' last names. For instance, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes's daughter uses the name, Suri Noelle, adopting her mother's middle name instead of her father's last. Shiloh and Vivienne, children of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, opted for Jolie's surname over Pitt’s. Designer Mossimo Giannulli and actress Lori Loughlin's daughter, Olivia Jade, often omits her last name professionally. Similarly, Rob Schneider's daughter, Tanner Elle Schneider, chose the stage name Elle King. Even Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s daughter goes by "Willow" rather than using her last name.