Tragic Details About Sasha And Malia Obama's Life

You'd be forgiven for thinking the life of first children (or former first children) is easy, but Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's two daughters, Sasha and Malia — who are gorgeous even without makeup – prove that's not always the case. The two were thrust into the spotlight due to their father's presidency, which lasted from 2009 until 2017. All the intense media attention on them led to pleas for them to be allowed to live the private lives they're entitled to. "They are not social media stars. They are not looking to be followed by the paparazzi just because their mom wrote a book, but that's a delicate balance that you have to strike," Michelle told People en Español in 2022 while promoting her book "The Light We Carry." "And I hope the media hears me when I am saying this: They are not seeking the light in this regard," she added.

But, arguably, a lot of the issues these two sisters have faced have been magnified by the public attention on them that they never asked for. They've certainly experienced some tragedies, and things certainly haven't always been totally smooth sailing in their lives — before, during, and even after their time in the White House.

One of the toughest ordeals the Obama family had to make it through came when Sasha Obama was just three months old. The Obamas' youngest daughter contracted meningitis, an infection that can be fatal if it's not discovered as soon as possible. Michelle Obama spoke openly about their horrific ordeal in a 2013 radio interview with Reverend Al Sharpton, explaining she would never forget what they went through that day. "One hour she was fine, she was normal, she was happy, doing everything I was used to her doing, and the next hour she was crying inconsolably, and that just wasn't like her," Michelle recalled. After finding nothing could console Sasha, Michelle, thankfully, called their doctor. But things could've been much worse. "If we had waited overnight, if we had postponed acting, there's no telling what the outcome would've been," she said (via NBC News).

In 2012, Barack described Sasha's health battle as the most difficult time in his life, explaining in a video released as part of his presidential campaign, "I still remember going to the hospital together, and they had to give her a spinal tap" (via Hello!). He continued, "The doctors did a terrific job, but, frankly, it was the nurses that were there with us when she had to get a spinal tap and all sorts of things that were just bringing me to tears." Thankfully, Sasha made a full recovery following the very scary time.

Though they were both very young while living in the White House, Sasha Obama and Malia Obama still faced a lot of unnecessary criticism. One less-than-kind comment came from former Republican communications director Elizabeth Lauten, who shared a controversial Facebook post directed at the then-first daughters. She addressed the 2014 public post to the sisters and wrote, "I get you're both in those awful teen years, but you're a part of the First Family, try showing a little class" (via Daily Mail). Lauten later apologized via her Facebook, but the public criticized her comments so heavily that she was forced to resign from her role.

That was far from the only time the two endured very public criticism, though. In 2015, The Brown Daily Herald issued an apology to Malia over an article that featured not-so-complimentary tweets about the now-former first daughter after she was spotted scoping out Brown University. Several other outlets have also issued apologies and thought pieces regarding how the Obama daughters were treated, particularly by the media and those on social media in the White House — including Marie Claire.

In 2017, Sasha Obama was the victim of an awful death hoax that falsely claimed she had been murdered in an organized drive-by shooting. The report was published by the outlet News Bible Report, which gave a horrifically detailed account of how the 16-year-old was supposedly shot and killed alongside a security guard who was picking her up from school. The report even gave specific false details about the vehicle involved and what happened when the police took pursuit after it, even going as far as to claim those involved had already been arrested.

Of course, the claims were totally untrue, and Snopes quickly debunked the story. The Obamas and their team didn't appear to publicly respond to the shocking false death report, but there's no doubt having such a horrifying and untrue story hit the internet about the death of such a beloved teenager had to be tough not only for Sasha but everyone who knows her.

Malia Obama made a big attempt to carve out her own career away from her famous family, but it didn't exactly work out the way she had hoped. Malia even created her own stage name, Malia Ann, dropping Obama in an attempt to not let her famous last name overshadow her creative abilities. But even without her last name on the credits, Malia faced some heavy criticism as she chased her dream. A number of people took to X, formerly Twitter, to claim there was nepotism at play. "Obama's daughter trying to sneak past Nepo baby discourse by not using her last name. Bro you are Obama's [daughter]," one person wrote. "Malia Obama will only EVER be a Nepo Baby," another person tweeted.

Sadly for Malia, the movie itself didn't fair much better in the court of public opinion. Titled "The Heart," Malia debuted the movie at the Sundance Film Festival and it didn't get the best reviews. On IMDb, the movie has a score of 5.3 out of 10, with more than 39% of reviews giving the movie just one star out of five.

In May 2024, the sad news was announced that Michelle Obama's mom, Marian Robinson, had passed away. Her death was no doubt extremely difficult for the whole family as Robinson was close with the Obamas and even lived with them in the White House, taking up residence to help take care of her granddaughters amid Barack and Michelle's busy schedules. And Robinson clearly relished her role as an active grandmother. "One of my biggest blessings is getting to see my granddaughters grow up before my eyes. I go to all their school plays and sports games; I'll answer their questions," she touchingly shared during a 2012 interview with Essence.

Though Sasha Obama and Malia Obama don't have their own active public social media accounts to speak out themselves, Michelle posted a touching tribute on behalf of herself and her family members on Instagram. Michelle listed a number of Robinson's biggest achievements, including sharing how important it was to have her mom around all the time while Barack was president. "We needed her. The girls needed her. And she ended up being our rock through it all. She relished her role as grandmother to Malia and Sasha," Michelle touchingly wrote.