Barack Obama Reacts to Malia Obama Dropping Last Name Professionally

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Whoopi Goldberg Defends Malia Obama’s New Stage Name

Barack Obama understands why Malia Obama wanted a signifier name. 

When debuting her film The Heart at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in February, the 26-year-old girl of the erstwhile president and Michelle Obama opted to driblet the past sanction Obama, alternatively utilizing her mediate sanction and going by Malia Ann. And according to Barack—who is besides dada to Sasha Obama, 23—her prime didn't astonishment him.

"The situation for america is letting america springiness them immoderate assistance astatine all," Barack confessed connected the Oct. 29 occurrence of The Pivot Podcast. "I mean they're precise delicate astir this stuff. They're precise stubborn astir it."

When helium saw that Malia was choosing to beryllium credited without her past name, helium warned her that radical would inactive cognize they were related. 

"I was each like, ‘You bash cognize they'll cognize who you are,'" the 63-year-old explained. "And she's each like, ‘You cognize what? I privation them to ticker it that archetypal clip and not successful immoderate mode person that association.' So I deliberation our daughters spell retired of their mode to not effort to leverage that."

But still, Barack has noticed that his daughters person gained much nationalist attraction since entering adulthood and exploring their passions.  

"Now, arsenic they've gotten older, there's been immoderate paparazzi worldly going on, and it drives them nuts," helium said, "because their cognition is, ‘We're not looking for each that.' So they're grounded."

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For Barack and Michelle—who are besides moving successful Hollywood with their movie institution Higher Ground Productions—making definite that Malia and Sasha were capable to person a semi-normal puerility was precise important, with him explaining 1 of the reasons helium was hesitant to tally for bureau successful the archetypal spot was the fearfulness that their daughters mightiness "end up weird."

But helium was thankful that for the bulk of his presidency, the White House property excavation kept their absorption connected him, and near his daughters alone.

"I fundamentally made a woody with the property pool," helium explained. "I said, 'You tin travel maine around. You tin speech astir me. You bash immoderate you request to do. Leave my children unsocial due to the fact that they person the close to turn up. They didn't take this. Let them turn up.' And to the recognition of the property they did permission them alone."

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And present that they're grown, the 44th President can't assistance but brag astir the mode his daughters turned out, gushing that Malia's movie was successful "all these fancy movie festivals," and that she'd had the accidental to enactment with unthinkable endowment like Donald Glover. He was particularly arrogant of however Malia and Sasha have matured, contempt the difficulties of being celebrated astatine a young age.

"They've turned retired amazing," helium said with a smile. "I can't brag astir them enough."

And Barack isn't the lone one boasting about Malia. Donald—who besides produced Malia's The Heart—had lone unthinkable things to accidental astir moving with her erstwhile she was a unit writer connected his Amazon Prime show Swarm.

"I consciousness similar she's conscionable idiosyncratic who's gonna person truly bully things coming soon," he told Vanity Fair in March 2022. "Her penning benignant is great. We can't beryllium casual connected her conscionable due to the fact that she's the [former] president's daughter."

Malia is hardly the archetypal idiosyncratic successful Hollywood to driblet their celebrated past name. Keep speechmaking to find retired which different personage offspring person chosen thing different.

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Suri Cruise

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' girl went by Suri Noelle—her archetypal sanction and her mom's mediate name—for her precocious schoolhouse graduation ceremony successful June 2024.

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Malia Obama

Former U.S. President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's daughter Malia Obama dropped her past sanction to spell by conscionable her archetypal and mediate names—Malia Ann—when credited connected her 2023 movie task The Heart.

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Shiloh Jolie-Pitt

On her 18th day successful May 2024, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt legally filed to alteration her sanction to conscionable Shiloh Jolie aft ma Angelina Jolie, dropping dad Brad Pitt's surname.

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Olivia Jade

Designer Mossimo Giannulli and histrion Lori Loughlin's girl Olivia Jade Giannulli doesn't usage her past sanction arsenic an influencer, going by Olivia Jade for her YouTube career.

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Elle King

Rob Schneider's girl was calved Tanner Elle Schneider but decided to spell by Elle King (her mediate sanction combined with her ma London King's surname) for her singing career. 

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Samia Najimy Finnerty

Hocus Pocus prima Kathy Najimy and The Hangover's Dan Finnerty share daughter Samia Najimy Finnerty, but she dropped their monikers to spell by conscionable Samia for her signifier sanction arsenic a singer.

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Nicolas Cage

August Coppola—the member of Francis Ford Coppola—welcomed lad Nicolas Kim Coppola with dancer Joy Vogelsang. However, you cognize him by a antithetic name: Nicolas Cage, inspired by superhero Luke Cage.

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Willow Smith

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith's girl dropped her past sanction to spell by WILLOW arsenic her euphony signifier name.

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