Overview

• In a June 3 appearance on the Sibling Revelry podcast, Michelle Obama described her daughters’ prolonged “push away” phase as they establish lives apart from their parents’ public profile.
• She noted that Malia opted to credit herself as “Malia Ann” on her Sundance-premiered short film, The Heart, to keep the focus on her work rather than her family name.
• Both Malia and Sasha are sensitive to perceptions of nepotism and make deliberate efforts to prove they have earned every opportunity.
• Barack Obama previously recounted on The Pivot Podcast that he warned Malia she would still be recognized but ultimately supported her wish for audiences to see the film without an Obama label.
• Malia’s credits on The Heart, a Nike commercial and writing on Amazon Prime’s Swarm point to her steadily growing credentials in the film industry.