Malia Obama (older of the two daughters of former US President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama) managed to graduate from Harvard University in 2021. Still, she couldn’t escape the weirdness of the internet. Before she had a chance to settle into her dorm and say hello to her new classmates, some online troublemakers had already cooked up an over-the-top and fake story. They spread the word that she’d been kicked out of school for doing drugs.
Crazy, right? And in reality, Malia Obama hadn’t even started her classes yet.
A few years back, in 2017, there was a satire website, named The Last Line of Defense, that came up with a wild story: “Malia Obama (…) has been ousted from the student roster at Harvard University.”
They said it was because she was smoking weed, twerking, and basically being a “party girl.”
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All that would make a right-wing uncle’s eyes pop out of his head. But guess what? The whole thing was made up, complete fiction! And even though everyone should’ve known better, the article spread like crazy on social media, especially with those who eat that kind of content up without checking if it’s true…just a reminder: satire isn’t the same as real news.
So, Malia Obama, the older sister of the famous Obama siblings, went ahead and started college like she had planned that same autumn. Fast forward four years, and she had not only graduated with flying colors but also scored some serious academic accolades, like winning the Thomas Hoopes Prize.
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And she didn’t just stick to books.
Happy Birthday 🥳🎂 to the phenomenal Malia Obama,born in Chicago in 1998, Malia moved to the White House after her father, Barack Obama, was elected U.S. president in 2008. She attended Harvard University in 2017. Malia has pursued interests in television and filmmaking. #HBD🎉 pic.twitter.com/tE1q702hQO
— sean (@Seanthms) July 4, 2024
Malia Obama dipped her toes in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, too!
She snagged an internship on the Lena Dunham show Girls and went on to write for Donald Glover‘s show, Swarm.
Talk about an impressive resume for a college kid, right? But wait, there’s more.
By the time 2024 rolled around, she had her directorial debut at Sundance with her very own short film titled The Heart. And she did all this under the name Malia Ann.
@BarackObama Malia Obama has made her red carpet debut at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where she premiered her new short film The Heart. Malia directed and wrote the screenplay for the 18-minute short, which was submitted under her first and middle names, Malia Ann.👏😊 pic.twitter.com/cvRPqMy2Tl
— Sumner (@renmusb1) January 20, 2024
While all this was happening, her dad was freaking out about her moving in. He told David Letterman, “Michelle, she had like a cleaning glove, one of those yellow ones, she’s scouring the bathroom. Sasha (…) was helping make the bed and fold clothes … and I was basically useless.” It’s something a lot of parents can relate to.
Malia Obama, being in the public eye, has had to deal with more than her fair share of tabloid chit-chat for someone her age. One minute, she’s all over the place as a fashion inspiration for young adults. Then, she’s caught smoking at Lollapalooza, and everyone’s talking about it. But what’s really impressive is how she’s handled all that noise.
She’s kept her cool, had a clear direction in life, and thrown in a little bit of silent rebellion here and there.
NEXT UP: Malia Obama Drops MAJOR Hint About the End of Her ‘Age-Gap Romance’ With Dawit Eklund
