Michelle Obama says daughter Malia 'will never invite parents to anything that she does'
You'd think being the child of a former US president and first lady would afford some privileges when it comes to launching a career.
But Malia Obama, Barack and Michelle Obama's eldest daughter, insists she won't ride the coattails of her big-name parents.
In fact, in her desperate bid not to fall under the 'nepo-baby' umbrella, the 27-year-old has apparently banned her mother and father from attending the celebration of her next major milestone.
An aspiring filmmaker, Malia's CV already boasts an impressive collaboration with Donald Glover as a writer on Swarm, and the 2023 directorial debut of her short film, The Heart.
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According to mum, Michelle, however, she has no intention of using her famous family's contacts within the entertainment industry to get a leg-up going forward, and wants to make it on her own.
She even goes by 'Malia Ann' professionally, ditching her illustrious surname.
Michelle's claim was made on the latest episode of her IMO podcast, which she hosts with her brother Craig Robinson, during a catch-up with award-winning director Steven Spielberg, who rocked up as a special guest.
The Becoming author told listeners that Malia 'will never invite us to anything that she does'.
It came after Spielberg revealed he'd recently invited Barack to visit the set of his incoming sci-fi epic Disclosure Day, noting it's the 'first set' the 44th president 'ever visited'.
"Even though your daughter is a filmmaker, Malia. So I feel bad I scooped Malia," he joked.
Michelle, who married the politician in 1992, responded about her eldest: "She doesn't care. She will never invite us to anything that she does. You know, she doesn't want us around her stuff."
On the show, the former first lady, who also shares 24-year-old daughter Sasha with her husband Barack, gave listeners further insight into their relationship with Spielberg.
"My husband is a bully to you when it comes to your movies," she teased. "I always reprimand him... because you haven't let him see [your latest film] and he's very mad about that."
The Oscar-winner laughed back: "Yeah, he said if he wasn't among the first to see it, he was going to watch it only on an iPhone."
"Which he knows would irritate you," Michelle, 62, added.
Spielberg continued: "And he said he wouldn't watch it horizontally, he'd only watch it vertically."
Of Barack's visit, the filmmaker recalled the left-leaning politician having 'a ball'.
"It was great. It was, of course, for my cast, it was a bit of a religious experience because in walks this iconic president who comes onto our set," he gushed. "To me, he's a good friend, to all of us, we know each other so well.
"But on set, the kids didn't know Barack except from what he's done for the world and who he represents."
Spielberg went on: "They were just absolutely - and I have a very extroverted cast - you could hear a pin drop when he walked in. They didn't know what to say. I didn't tell all of them, I told some of them, but not all of them."
Michelle and Barack Obama's reaction to Malia's name change
During an appearance on Kate and Oliver Hudson’s podcast, Sibling Revelry, Michelle said: "It is very important for my kids to feel like they've earned what they are getting in the world, and they don't want people to assume that they don't work hard, that they're just naturally, just handed things."
The mum-of-two went on to say that Malia and Sasha are ‘very sensitive to that’ and’ they want to be their own people’.
Opening up about Malia’s decision to drop the famous surname, she continued: "She took off her last name, and we were like, they're still going to know it's you, Malia.
"But we respected the fact that she's trying to make her way."
Meanwhile, Barack told The Pivot Podcast: "I was all like, 'You do know they'll know who you are'. And she's all like, 'You know what? I want them to watch [my film] that first time and not in any way have that association'."
He added: “So I think our daughters go out of their way to not try to leverage that."
Topics: Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Celebrity, US News
Rhianna Benson