Malia Obama: 13 Facts About Barack & Michelle's Oldest Daughter

Former first daughter Malia Obama has been a household name alongside her younger sister, Sasha, since entering America's most powerful abode in 2009. Throughout the years, the young woman has settled into a life that incorporates fame, family, and fortitude.

From adjusting to life in the spotlight with her father, former U.S. President Barack Obama, to learning how to become herself with a career of her own, she has navigated her public life with grace while simultaneously leaning into a more private sentiment. Plus, she's blossomed into a film-making and fashion maven in the process!

Through it all, her famous folks have been there to support her all along her journey. "She is just buoyant," her father told InStyle of his eldest child in 2020. "She's somebody who enjoys people, enjoys life. She's never bored, which is a badass quality that can take you places."

Before she moved into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Malia Obama spent her childhood in the Windy City, where her prestigious parents, Michelle and Barack Obama, met and married. Born in 1998, Malia grew up in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, where she excelled in sports, like soccer and swimming, and in the arts as a flute player. Her younger sister Malia was born in 2001, and their parents continued to serve Chicago; Barack as an Illinois state senator and law professor, and Michelle as the associate dean of student services for the University of Chicago.

But as her father's political aspirations ramped up in the mid-2000s, the prospect of leaving home became more of a reality. "They have a wonderful life in Chicago, they have lifelong friends in Chicago and the prospects of having to make new friends, that's never something that kids are looking forward to," Barack once shared with People in 2008. "So I'm sure that there's a part of them that says we won't be heartbroken if things don't work out."

When Barack Obama won his first term as president in 2008, Malia Obama joined her family to live in the White House beginning in January 2009. She would reside there until 2016, through both of her father's terms as president. But despite being one of the most famous kids in the country, Malia was subject to the same standard expectations of her peers, at least at home.

She was given an allowance as long as she got her chores done, had set bedtimes, and walked the family dogs daily. "That was the first thing I said to some of the [White House] staff when I did my visit," Michelle Obama once told ABC News (via The New York Times). "Don't make their beds. Make mine. Skip the kids. They have to learn these things."

There was also room for fun, of course, which included attending fundraisers and events with their parents. The sisters even had a sleepover with friends on their final night in the White House. "Those are some special girls, and everyone is rooting for them to make it through this intact," said Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama's brother, in an interview (via The New York Times).

From time to time, Malia Obama would join her famous family on trips around the world — both for business and pleasure. During her father's two terms as president, she and little sister Sasha joined their parents in a number of diplomatic visits to China, Spain, Cuba, and many other destinations. Malia was even an instrumental part of the Obamas' trip to Cuba, as she served as a translator for her father when dining at a local restaurant. "The most memorable trips that I've taken have been the ones with [Sasha and Malia]," Barack Obama shared with SFGate.com (via Bustle).

Even when her famous father wasn't around, Malia accompanied the other women in her family — including mother Michelle and late maternal grandmother Marian Robinson — on international adventures. While in London in 2015, the eldest daughter met Prince Harry and visited then-Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife, Samantha Cameron, at Downing Street. "Those kinds of trips are memorable because they are part of you as a young person trying to discover what your place in the world is," Barack continued to SFGate.com.

Throughout her life, Malia Obama has been a steadfast student. She grew up attending prestigious schools in both Chicago and Washington, D.C. before eventually attending Harvard University. While studying at Harvard, she was even awarded the Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize, which honors "excellent undergraduate work and excellence in the art of teaching." Her fast ascent to her Ivy League education was decidedly more emotional for Malia's famous folks. "I dropped off Malia at college ... it was a little bit like open-heart surgery," Barack Obama joked during a public appearance (via WDEL.com) in 2017. "And I was proud that I did not cry in front of her."

Education has always been something that the Obamas valued highly. Michelle Obama has even campaigned globally for women's education. "I want every girl to have the same opportunities that I did growing up," she once told Teen Vogue. "So much of my life has been determined by my ability to get an education — it's hard to overstate that."

Before she headed off to Harvard University in the fall of 2017, Malia Obama decided to take a gap year in between graduating high school and starting her higher education studies. During that year, she traveled internationally both with family and friends and by herself. On her solo trip, she trekked to Bolivia and Peru and even stayed with a host family as she learned about the area's social, political, and geographical history.

Obama also spent time interning for The Weinstein Company, as she expressed her interest in the film industry. She had previously interned for several notable productions before, including the HBO series, "Girls" and the CBS drama, "Extant."

The former first daughter's decision to spend a year learning in other ways was a hot topic in the news, and it inspired many conversations about the merit behind the sometimes controversial decision. "[A student I counseled] was right on the fence about it," said Holly Bull, president of the Center for Interim Programs, told Newsweek. "And when she heard Malia was going to take a gap year, she said, 'Okay, I'm going to take one too.'"

Both in and outside of the White House, Malia and Sasha Obama have remained a tight-knit pair. After they moved out of Washington, D.C., the sisters studied at separate schools — Malia at Harvard, and Sasha at the University of Southern California — before settling together in Los Angeles, California. The two even reportedly live together in the City of Angels while Malia pursues a career in film and Sasha begins her own career. "Those girls had to be smart and confident and independent straightaway ... but I was raising them thinking, 'You're not gonna live here and with me forever,'" Michelle Obama once shared of her daughters on Malinda French Gates' podcast, "Moments That Make Us."

The girls have also attended swanky Hollywood parties and spent time with other entertainment figures as they've begun to shape their own lives. "They are good, decent, normal young women who are trying to be impactful in the world, and they are the best of friends," their mother said in an interview with Robin Roberts in 2020. "Couldn't ask for anything else."

Malia Obama has made a new name for herself apart from her famous family. She's grown into her own as a filmmaker under the name "Malia Ann," and she even premiered her first short film, "The Heart," at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024.

"The film is about lost objects and lonely people and forgiveness and regret, but I also think it works hard to uncover where tenderness and closeness can exist in these things," Obama explained in a video introduction for the Sundance Institute. "We hope you enjoy the film and it makes you feel a bit less lonely, or at least reminds you not to forget about the people who are."

Before she was making headlines as a writer/director, Obama was working behind-the-scenes in the industry for a number of Hollywood heavyweights. After interning on several series, she made her way into the writer's room on Donald Glover's series "Swarm," where she impressed the creatives with her craft. "She's an incredible writer and artist," said Janine Nabers, co-creator of "Swarm," to Vanity Fair in 2023. "We really wanted to give her the opportunity to get her feet wet in TV and see if this is something she wants to continue doing."

Malia Obama has been a long time lover of animals, even from a young age. When she and little sister Sasha were still in the White House, their family famously adopted two Portuguese Water Dogs named Sunny and Bo. The older of the dogs, Bo, was a special gift to not only the Obama daughters, but their whole family. "On the campaign trail in 2008, we promised our daughters that we would get a puppy after the election," Michelle Obama wrote on Instagram about Bo upon his passing in 2021. "At the time, Bo was supposed to be a companion for the girls. We had no idea how much he would mean to all of us."

Malia's love of furry friends expanded beyond her home, too. She once interned at the Smithsonian National Zoo while attending school in Washington, D.C. Because of her love of animals, Malia was even once asked by PETA's youth division, peta2, to encourage her father (during his presidency) to cancel the famous "turkey pardoning" ceremony around Thanksgiving in favor of a vegan-friendly alternative. "You come from a family whose members don't hesitate to fight for those who have been oppressed by standing up for civil rights, women's rights, and LGBT rights," an open letter from Rachelle Owen, peta2's senior manager of youth campaigns, read to the Obama sisters. "This year, we would like to ask you to lend your powerful and influential voices to another group whose voices often go unheard: animals."

Malia Obama is a steadfast advocate for what she believes is right and has spent time publicly supporting several major causes. In 2017, she attended a Dakota Access pipeline protest while participating in the Sundance Film Festival. While this was one of her first major appearances outside of her famous family, other celebrities were inspired by her choice to make her voice heard on her own. "She recognizes, regardless of her last name, that if she doesn't participate in democracy, there will be no world for her future children," actor Shailene Woodley, who also attended the protest, said of Obama to Democracy Now.

Obama has also spoken up for the Black Lives Matter movement by acting as both organizer and participant alongside her younger sister. "Malia and Sasha found their own ways to get involved with the demonstrations and activism that you saw with young people this summer ... on their own initiative," former President Obama told People in 2020. "I could not have been prouder of them."

As is anticipated with just about anyone in the public eye, Malia Obama's romantic relationships have been tabloid fodder since her teen years. Her first rumored boyfriend was Rory Farquharson, the son of a wealthy British banker and her classmate at Harvard. The two were rumored to be on and off from 2018 until 2022. She's also been linked to Ethiopian music producer Dawit Eklund, whose father was also involved in the U.S. government.

But when it comes to their daughters' love life, the Obama parents try to take a back seat — despite their discomfort. "I want them to know what they want and who they are in a relationship," Michelle Obama explained of her mindset in her interview with Robin Roberts in 2022. "And that takes trying on some people." As for the former president? He's taken a little more time to become used to the idea of his daughters dating. "He's learned how to be a concerned Black father, but not crazy," Michelle assured Roberts in the same interview.

Even though she is living life on her own, Malia Obama has made sure to stay close with her immediate family. She and sister Sasha were even involved in their mother's 2020 documentary, "Becoming," and sat down for a rare on-camera interview. "This has demonstrated in a way, it's just like, 'Damn, those eight years weren't for nothing,'" Malia said to her mother after a sold-out book tour appearance in the documentary (via Entertainment Tonight). "You see that huge crowd out there and that last kind of speech you gave ... People are here because people really believe in love and hope in other people."

During down time when there's nothing to promote, the eldest Obama daughter still likes to spend time with her family, who she even quarantined with at the beginning of the 2020 pandemic. "It's a blessing because all the teenage stuff is kind of gone now," former President Barack Obama told "The Bill Simmons Podcast." "They're just back and they love you again and they wanna spend time with you again."

Over the years, Malia Obama has been caught in a number of less-than-ideal situations that have piqued the masses' attention. In 2016, she was spotted smoking what looked like a marijuana joint at Chicago music festival Lollapalooza. Although her father once wrote in his memoir that he himself had dabbled in drugs and alcohol in his youth, the public wasn't thrilled with the Obama daughter's behavior. But in her own way, Obama fought back against the haters in a subtle but snarky way — she donned a "Smoking Kills" t-shirt at the Made In America music festival in full view of the audience.

Ironically, this wouldn't be the last time Obama would be caught in a smoking-related controversy. While attending a Harvard football game, she was recorded smoking a cigarette while tailgating. This prompted even political figures to chime in on the incident, with some even defending her right to be her own person. "Malia Obama's private life, as a young woman, a college student, a private citizen, should not be your clickbait," Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. "Be better."

Malia Obama has been determined to be a fashion icon by both her peers and industry trend monitors. "Eschewing the idea that children of powerful figures are just mini politicians themselves, she's leaned into a slouchy, bohemian sensibility — a far cry from the pantsuits of Capitol Hill," wrote Hannah Jackson for Vogue, who bestowed upon her the title of the "Reigning Queen of Gen Z Style" in 2024.

She's been known in her adulthood for her laid back style, and GQ even gave her another fashion title: "new menswear icon." But she has also shown off her glamorous side, from state events during her father's presidency to red carpet appearances to promote her film, "The Heart." But even as she has been praised for her cool looks and snazzy style, Obama herself doesn't find herself to be as much of a fashion maven as the public thinks. "I don't know as much about fashion, but I'm happy to be wearing [Vivienne Westwood]," she told Paris Match in 2024 while attending the Deauville American Film Festival in a plaid layered gown by the designer.