Michelle Obama understands her daughter Malia’s choice not to use her last name in her work as a screenwriter. The former first lady says her daughter wants to be recognized for her work on her own merit.
“It’s very important that my children feel that they have earned what they get in the world,” Obama says to Kate Hudson in the podcast Sibling Revelry. According to her mother, Malia is trying to distinguish herself.
The former first lady also says that both daughters, Malia and Sasha, don’t want people to think that their position is self-evident or due to their parents. “They don’t want people to think that they don’t work hard or that they just get everything.”
Malia first worked on a TV series in 2022. She co-wrote Swarm, which appeared on Amazon Prime. A year later, her first short film The Heart premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. She was listed in the credits as Mary Ann, her middle name.