The discussion ignited on The View as Malia Obama made her directorial debut at Sundance, opting to use her middle name- ‘Malia Ann,’ instead of her last name. Whoopi Goldberg , known for her stage name crafted from Caryn Elaine Johnson, voiced support, saying, “Why do you care what she calls herself? If she wanted to call herself Jeanette McDonald , she has the right to! If I can be Whoopi Goldberg, she can be whoever the hell she wants to be!”
The eldest Obama child recently made a short film titled The Heart , however, she chose to go as Malia Ann instead of Malia Obama and merely used her middle name. When moderator Goldberg opened the conversation on Wednesday’s Hot Topics, she was perplexed by the people who were upset with that decision .
Happy for Malia Obama who will be officially using the name Malia Ann as the director of her short movie ‘The Heart’ to avoid the ‘nepotism baby’ stigma. Critics argue she’s just one on a long list of people who’ve unfairly got a leg up in the industry. Me- I’m proud of… pic.twitter.com/jvVwxQ0wrb
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Whoopi stated, “She knows she’s an Obama, why do you care? I mean, why are people triggered by this kind of stuff? Why are people wasting their time?” For those who may not know, Caryn Elaine Johnson is actually Goldberg’s real name. Her first inspiration for her stage name was something more Hollywood-appropriate, but she also went with her trademark sense of humor, naming herself Whoopi after a whoopee cushion. Joy Behar acknowledged that Obama is free to use any name she chooses, but she also pointed out that there wouldn’t be any issues if Obama used her last name. “It’s not like her last name is Nixon. Her last name has great vibes around it. So she might as well use it,” Behar joked, as per The Wrap .
After swiftly agreeing , cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin added that the circumstance is in a weird scenario of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t. If she went as Malia Obama, they’d be like, ‘She’s riding her parents’ coattails. And I can’t think of a bigger shadow to feel like you’re living in than the president and first lady of the United States.” Griffin added that Obama is going for a path that is extremely unrelated to politics, which makes the name change somewhat more acceptable. “If she was running for congress in Illinois and was like, ‘I’m running as Malia Ann,’ I’d be like, ‘That’s too cute by a half, you’re obviously an Obama following in Obama’s footsteps,’ But she’s doing her own thing!” Farah Griffin said, as per Page Six.
Cohost Sunny Hostin expressed amazement that people aren’t more in favor of Obama’s decision to attempt and establish a reputation for herself without utilizing her last name, given how frequently “nepo babies” are the subject of pop culture discussions these days. The hosts of The View supported Obama’s decision overall, highlighting her freedom to choose her own identity and follow her passions regardless of her family’s name.
