Barack Obama mocks daughter Malia for dropping surname as she begins movie career

Barack Obama mocked his girl Malia aft she decided to driblet her celebrated surname to break into nan movie business. 

The erstwhile president, 63, poked nosy astatine his girl and called her 'stubborn' successful an quality connected nan Pivot podcast, aft it was revealed she will spell by 'Malia Ann' connected nan credits of movie The Heart, which she made pinch megastar Donald Glover.

Despite immoderate critics crying nepotism, Obama said Malia, 26, and sister Sasha, 23, 'go retired of their measurement to not effort to leverage' their familial status, but indicated he was supportive of their determination to do so.

'The situation for america is letting america springiness them immoderate thief astatine all,' he told big Ryan Clark. 'I mean they're very delicate astir this stuff. They're very stubborn astir it.'

Malia is credited arsenic nan writer and head of The Heart, described connected its IMDB arsenic nan communicative of 'an unexpected petition and a unspeakable nonaccomplishment that bring attraction to nan aggravated and analyzable narration betwixt a mother and her son.' 

The movie debuted astatine nan Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, nevertheless Barack joked that Malia's effort to usage her mediate sanction 'Ann' to anonymize herself was ever ambitious. 

'I was each like, "You do cognize they'll cognize who you are,"' Barack said connected nan podcast. 

'And she's each like, "You cognize what? I want them to watch it that first clip and not successful immoderate measurement person that association".'

The erstwhile president explained that he will 'be a dad' and 'brag a small bit' astir his daughters' successes, but besides has tried to support their lives backstage arsenic overmuch arsenic possible.

'Growing up, nan property was beautiful good,' Barack recalled, explaining really he 'made a deal' pinch nan White House property corps that they could travel him around, speak to him and 'do immoderate they request to do' arsenic agelong arsenic they agreed to 1 rule.

'Leave my children alone. Because they person nan correct to turn up. They didn't take this,' he said. 'Let them turn up.'

 While Obama proudly boasted of his daughters' effort to spell retired connected her own, online critics panned Malia's efforts. 

'It's still nepotism,' 1 net commenter said successful response. 

Another commenter said 'Nepo baby,' while a 3rd suggested Malia had dropped her surname professionally to debar being associated pinch dada Barack's overseas argumentation decisions while successful office. 

Posters highlighted nan advantages Malia has enjoyed, including nan expertise to people an internship pinch a since-disgraced Hollywood icon. 

'I will ne'er hide nan clip her parents group her up pinch a assemblage internship pinch Harvey Weinstein. Now, she had Secret Service protection, but still,' nan commenter said. 

Others were much supportive and said they admired Malia for not trying to usage her iconic family sanction to build a career.

Malia antecedently received disapproval complete her effort to abstracted herself from nan Obama sanction erstwhile nan movie debuted earlier this year, pinch galore societal media users branding her a 'nepo baby'. 

'Obama's girl trying to sneak past nepo babe sermon by not utilizing her past name. Bro you are Obama's daughter,' 1 X personification wrote astatine nan time.

They added: 'Like if you wanna beryllium a filmmaker that's cool but we each cognize who you are, you're Obama's daughter. You can't hide that.'

'Calling yourself "Malia Ann" is not going to avert immoderate Nepo Baby criticisms, Miss Former First Daughter,' different said. 

But 1 X personification pointed retired nan paradox, saying: 'So they can't get up utilizing their sanction but if they effort to get up connected their ain merits they'll beryllium called retired connected pretending? Brilliant logic.'

Another said: 'I'm truthful proud of Malia. I noticed she's besides going by her mediate name. It's astonishing to spot group create their ain lane. I'm judge she will beryllium a awesome storyteller.'

'I salute her for her work. And not capitalizing connected her past name. Go Malia. Hope you triumph a prize,' echoed another.

Even actress Whoopi Goldberg - whose existent sanction is Caryn Elaine Johnson - rushed to Malia's defense.

'Apparently immoderate folks online are criticizing her for it, claiming everyone knows she's an Obama, truthful it's pointless to hide it,' Goldberg told her talk show The View successful February.

'If she knows she's an Obama, why do you care? Why do you attraction what she calls herself? If she wanted to telephone herself Jeanette MacDonald, she has nan correct to! If I tin beryllium Whoopi Goldberg, she tin beryllium whoever nan hellhole she wants to be!'

The former first girl wrote and directed 'The Heart', a short movie astir nan narration betwixt a mother and her son.

It was her first movie to look astatine Sundance aft she interned connected HBO's Girls and worked for Harvey Weinstein's accumulation company.

Since nan Obamas near nan White House successful 2017, Malia and her younger sister Sasha person kept a comparatively debased profile. 

Both attended assemblage - Malia to Harvard and Sasha to nan University of Michigan - and person gone connected to commencement their ain careers. 

Malia started disconnected arsenic an intern connected Halle Berry's CBS sci-fi series, Extant, erstwhile she was conscionable 15, and past went connected to intern connected HBO's Girls erstwhile she was 17. 

She besides won an internship for Harvey Weinstein's accumulation institution erstwhile she was 19, successful nan months earlier nan activity maltreatment ungraded collapsed successful 2017.

She past worked arsenic a unit writer connected Donald Glover's Amazon Prime series, Swarm. 

Glover said to Vanity Fair successful 2022: 'She's conscionable like, an amazingly talented person. She's really focused, and she's moving really hard. 

'I consciousness for illustration she's conscionable personification who's gonna person really bully things coming soon. Her penning style is great.'