5 Times Malia & Sasha Obama Proved They Had A Rebellious Streak

When the Obama family moved into the White House in 2009, Barack Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their daughters, Malia and Sasha, made up this beautiful nuclear family who were always well-dressed and well-mannered in public settings. As the first children of the country from 2009 to 2017, Malia and Sasha were expected to always be on their p's and q's and stay away from controversies. This was easy for the girls during their childhood, but their teenage years and beyond were controversy central, giving us a taste of their rebellious sides.

Their biggest scandal, perhaps, was being caught smoking. In October 2023, Sasha was photographed in a Los Angeles park enjoying a good book and a cigarette. Though at this point she was no longer one of the country's first children, many were outraged about her recreational activity, with some blaming Barack's past smoking habits for Sasha's actions. That same month, Malia was caught in her own puff session while spending time with a friend. However, this instance didn't catch many off guard since Malia was caught smoking marijuana in 2016 at a Lollapalooza festival, though the public was not as harsh on her at this time. Some even believe Malia's smoking habits caused her to be a bad influence on Sasha.

Let's take a look at some other occasions when Malia and Sasha showed the public that having lived in the White House didn't keep them from having a normal life.

In 2019, when Malia Obama was 20 years old, she was spotted drinking rosé. Though she was just about to transition to the legal drinking age, she was criticized for her actions, which she likely only faced because of who her parents are. Radio host Andrew Steven Wilkow was among Malia's critics. "Living like the 1%? Drinking underage? Let's see the #democrats and media scream about "privilege" here," he wrote on then Twitter. However, many came to her defense, with some even impressed with her choice of drink. One user on Twitter said, "She is so classy [with] her Rosé!!! I was drinking Smirnoff at 20." That user posted a follow-up tweet saying they wished they had someone like Malia in their life who could offer them rosé instead of wine coolers.

One writer for The Guardian — Arwa Mahdawi — bashed those who criticized Barack and Michelle Obama's first daughter, including Wilkow. Mahdawi said critiquing the almost 21-year-old for having a drink was a double standard and stigmatizing, not just for the eldest Obama daughter, but for women generally. The writer also pointed out that bashing Malia was a clear contradiction, as Brett Kavanaugh openly admitted to enjoying beer in high school and faced no repercussions. "Kavanaugh got a pass, however, because boys will be boys, after all. And girls will be publicly shamed," Mahdawi said.

Michelle and Barack Obama trained their daughters to be outspoken and never shy away from conversations, as they thought it was important to raise independent women. Well, Sasha Obama may have taken the open dialogue concept a little too far. In October 2020, the youngest of the Obama daughters was lip-syncing and dancing to viral sounds on TikTok — as was everyone else that year. In a video with a friend, she mouthed the lyrics "All these n****s wanna f**k JT," to the rap song featuring rapper Jatavia "JT" Johnson. The clip didn't stay on that platform for too long, but because the internet sees and records all, it quickly resurfaced online.

Many were disappointed that Sasha, who was a part of Black history in the United States, would use slurs so loosely. Others, however, chalked the young girl's actions up to just being a teenager. The critiques likely didn't bother Sasha as much as her haters thought they would, as she was back to mouthing profane lyrics on TikTok with her friends just a month later. This time, though, it was just the 'b' word while doing the "Corvette Corvette" dance challenge. In this new video, people were more upset about the lack of diversity in Sasha's friend group rather than her sailor tongue.

In 2024, Malia Obama produced a short film called "The Heart." In the credits of the film, Malia's famous last name was clearly missing, and it wasn't an editing error. Instead, she was credited as "Malia Ann." Barack Obama discussed his eldest daughter's decision to remove her family name from the credits, and he said he told her that people would still know who she is. "And she was like, 'You know what? I want them to watch it that first time and not in any way have that association,'" her father said on an episode of "The Pivot."

Despite wanting to separate her art from her parents' fame, some believed removing her last name was not enough to disassociate herself from the privilege. "Calling yourself 'Malia Ann' is not going to avert any Nepo Baby criticisms, Miss Former First Daughter," a reviewer of the film wrote (via The Independent). Understanding that her connection to her parents wouldn't disappear with or without her last name, "This Is America" singer Donald Glover, who worked with Malia on her film, told GQ that he reminded her that her name meant she had to get the film right. "You're Obama's daughter. So if you make a bad film, it will follow you around."

Living in the White House means living under a public microscope and being at risk of scrutiny irrespective of the intensity level of a situation. Malia and Sasha Obama understand this all too well, as their every move, especially as teenagers, was monitored and analyzed by the media. In 2014, Elizabeth Lauten, then a staff member for a Republican congressman, addressed the Obama girls on social media, telling them to act like they have class and like they deserve respect and "not a spot at a bar" following their demeanor at a Thanksgiving ceremony at the White House (via BBC). The two were 13 and 16 at the time, and wore more casual clothing, unlike their father who was dressed in a formal suit.

The public did not appreciate the way this grown white woman addressed these young Black teenagers. The immense pressure pushed Lauten to release a public apology. "I'd like to apologize to all of those who I have hurt and offended with my words, and I pledge to learn and grow (and I assure you I have) from this experience," she said, after stating that she had spent time in prayer about her actions. She later resigned from her political role that December.

Though the girls' actions were critiqued time and time again after this, Michelle and Barack have always supported their daughters and constantly declared how proud they are of them.