Michelle Obama Opens Up About Malia’s Decision to Drop Her Last Name

If you’ve been wondering why Malia Obama now professionally goes by “Malia Ann,” Michelle Obama recently opened up about her decision.

On Monday, the former first lady appeared on an episode of Sibling Revelry with Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson. During a conversation about parenting, Obama shared that there was a period when Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23, went through the “push away” phase when they were teenagers. “I mean, they’re still doing that,” she said.

As the children of famous parents, Malia and Sasha want to “distinguish” themselves and chart their own paths, which she understands. “It’s very important for my kids to feel like they’ve earned what they are getting in the world,” she continued. “They don’t want people to assume that they don’t work hard and that they’re naturally just handed things. They’re very sensitive to that. They want to be their own people.”

She went on to speak about Malia’s latest venture as a filmmaker. Last January, she premiered her debut short film The Heart at the Sundance Film Festival. In the credits, her name is listed as “Malia Ann” and doesn’t include her last name.

“We were like, ‘They’re still going to know it’s you, Malia,” Obama quipped. “But we respected the fact that she’s trying to make her way.”

The Becoming author also now feels like her daughters understand her parenting style a lot more now that they’re older. “They have a clearer understanding of why we did a lot of what we did,” she said. “They understand us as full human beings now, in the same way that I think I discovered that about my parents when I went away to college. I think our kids are moving into that.”

You can listen to the full podcast episode here.