Malia Obama Drops Biggest Clue Yet Her Age-Gap Romance With Dawit Eklund Might Be Over

Malia Obama's rumored romance with record producer Dawit Eklund may have run its course. The daughter of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama made headlines in August 2022 when she was spotted at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art with her arm around a man identified as Eklund. The pair have reportedly spent time together over the past few years, but have been rarely spotted out and about, keeping their romance relatively under wraps. Perhaps this is due to their natural inclination toward privacy, or perhaps it's because Eklund is almost a decade older than the 26-year-old former first daughter.

However, even while keeping things private, one would imagine that two lovebirds would do what they can to spend Valentine's Day together. This year, however, that was not the case. Instead, Malia spent the romantic holiday as a third wheel, hanging out with her friends in a relationship, Ames and Ruby. Malia enjoyed an upbeat convo with her pals at Great White, a trendy Los Angeles restaurant.

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While the outing looked fun for the trio of besties, it does seem like the final nail in the coffin to questions and speculation surrounding her romance with Eklund. Although for many outlets, it's been hard to pin down exactly who Malia has been romantically involved with, as she keeps her private life private. That being said, Malia's famous mom has expressed excitement for seeing her kids become adults. In her 2022 memoir "The Light We Carry," Michelle wrote (via ABC News) that her daughters "are in that slightly wild, slightly ragtag flea-market stage of life, where new friends are exciting treasures that can be found almost anywhere."

Malia Obama's veiled and largely private romance with Dawit Eklund isn't the only time the former first daughter has been romantically linked to different suitors since she left the White House with her family in January 2017, began her education at Harvard University shortly after, and subsequently moved to Los Angeles to begin a career as a TV writer in Hollywood. Her first major reported romance came when she began dating a British classmate in college, Rory Farquharson, who actually spent some time quarantining with Malia and her famous parents during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020.

In the years after her occasional reported outings with Eklund, Malia was spotted spending time with other people which inevitably led to other romance rumors. In 2023, she was seen with Animé, a famous rapper. Then in September 2024, she was photographed enjoying a lunch outing with photojournalist Achilleas Ambatzidis, co-founder of Chuck Magazine. Those photos contributed to speculation that Eklund and Malia were over. Although, given her fame and her tendency to live a reserved and quiet life, it seems every time Malia has lunch with anyone, speculation is bound to swirl.

However, Michelle Obama has made it very clear that she and husband Barack Obama are very supportive of their kids exploring love and romance. In 2022, Michelle sat down for a chat with "Good Morning America" and got candid about her children's relationships. "I think it's wonderful," Michelle shared. "I want them to know what they want and who they are in a relationship. And that takes trying on some people."