Michelle Obama Shares Her Honest Thoughts on Daughter Malia’s Name Change

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Obama sat down with Kate Hudson and her brother Oliver on their podcast "Sibling Revelry."

Key Points

• Michelle Obama appeared on the latest episode of Kate and Oliver Hudson's "Sibling Revelry" podcast.
• She explained how her daughters, Malia and Sasha, have tried to separate themselves from their famous parents.
• "They're still doing that," the former first lady said.

Michelle Obama just revealed why her eldest daughter Malia's name change was part of a "push away" from her famous family.

Speaking to actress Kate Hudson and her brother Oliver on their podcast "Sibling Revelry" this week, the former first lady explained how her daughters (she also shares Sasha with her husband, former President Barack Obama) still battle with trying to separate themselves from their parents.

"Where do we begin?" Michelle said. "Our daughters are 26 and 23, they are young adult women. But they definitely went through a period in their teen years…it was the 'push away.'"

"They're still doing that, and you guys know this of children with parents who are known," she added. "You're trying to distinguish yourself. It's very important for my kids to feel like they've earned what they are getting in the world." 

Michelle also explained that Sasha and Malia "don't want people to assume they don't work hard," or "that they're just naturally handed things."

"They're very sensitive to that," Michelle said of her daughters. "They want to be their own people."

The bestselling author also made reference to Malia deciding to drop her last name from the short film she debuted at Sundance Film Festival last year. Professionally, she goes by Malia Ann, her first and middle names.

"We were like, 'They're still going to know it's you, Malia,'" Michelle explained. "But we respected the fact that she's trying to make her way."

Malia directed a Nike commercial that came out earlier this year, and she was also a writer on the Amazon Prime miniseries Swarm.

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