Former first lady Michelle Obama said she and her husband, Barack, respect their daughter Malia dropping her last name "Obama" in professional projects -- and praised how both of their daughters more generally "want to be their own people."

Malia Obama used her middle name, Ann, as her last name for the credits of a short film she wrote and directed, "The Heart," which aired at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

"Our daughters [ Malia and Sasha ] are 25 and 23. They are young adult women, but they definitely went through a period in their teen years where it was the push away ... [ where ] you're trying to distinguish yourself," Michelle Obama told actors Kate and Oliver Hudson in an episode of their podcast "Sibling Revel

See Full Page