Former First Lady Michelle Obama opened up about parenting and her daughters’ journey toward independence in a candid conversation on her “IMO” podcast, released on June 18. Joined by her brother Craig Robinson and radio icon Angie Martinez, Obama touched on a wide range of personal topics — from raising girls to why she’s relieved she didn’t have a son.
“I’m so glad I didn’t have a boy,” Obama said during the discussion, adding with a laugh, “He would’ve been a Barack Obama!” referencing the strong personality of her husband, former President Barack Obama. She suggested that parenting a son with similar traits might have been particularly challenging.
The Obamas are parents to two daughters: Malia Ann, 26, a filmmaker, and Sasha Obama, 24, a recent graduate of the University of Southern California. Martinez playfully suggested the couple “should’ve thrown a boy in the mix,” to which Obama responded that, while it might sound fun, she would have been concerned about the pressure such a child might face — particularly one living in the shadow of a former president.
“I would’ve felt for him,” Obama said, implying the difficulty of living up to such a high-profile legacy. Robinson, a father of four (including three sons), added humorously that Michelle had already “borrowed our boys” for inspiration.
On Malia Ann’s Name Change and Independent Path
Michelle Obama also addressed recent headlines surrounding her eldest daughter’s decision to professionally drop her last name. Malia Ann, who is actively building a film career in Hollywood, chose to be credited simply by her first and middle names in her 2023 short film The Heart, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
Speaking previously on the “Sibling Revelry” podcast hosted by Oliver and Kate Hudson, Obama explained that both Malia and Sasha have been intentional about forging their own identities. “Our daughters are 25 and 23. They are young adult women, but they definitely went through a period in their teen years where it was the push away,” she said. “They’re still doing that.”
The Becoming author emphasized how important it is for her daughters to feel that they’ve earned their success and not benefited solely from their family name. “They want to be their own people,” she noted, adding that they’re very sensitive to the perception that things have come easily because of who their parents are.
Michelle Obama’s remarks continue to shed light on the pressures of raising children in the public eye, while also offering a window into the values of hard work, independence, and humility that she and Barack Obama instilled in their family.
