Why Malia Obama's Friends Are Reportedly Worried About Her

Malia Obama has been forging her own path in Hollywood since setting out to become a screenwriter. It all seemed promising when it was announced that she had joined the writing room for Donald Glover's "Swarm." Yet, with this excellent start to her writing career in 2023, Obama has seen little development since. This could be due to the former first daughter's immature lifestyle that has been the center of many friends' worries, noting that her lack of maturity in the face of great opportunity has hindered her potential career. Instead of devoting her time to bettering her craft, sharpening her skills, or discovering future projects, sources revealed to Radar Online in October 2025, "The problem is how much of her life she still devotes to partying and socializing, when now is the time, she should be buckling down and showing people what she's really capable of." 

With such great talent and ample opportunity, which the source ties to Obama's family, saying, "Malia's been working in Hollywood since she was a college student and, thanks to her family's high profile, she's gotten more experience than your average twentysomething TV writer-producer," it's concerning that Obama would neglect her chances to accomplish her dreams in Hollywood. However, it may be Hollywood itself that is encouraging this pattern. "She loves living and working in Hollywood, but it's the lifestyle she's become enamored with, not the grind and the inevitable rejection that comes with a serious writing career," the source told Radar Online. 

Malia Obama's partying habits are nothing new. Like every teenager, Malia and her sister, Sasha, explored the partying life in high school and college, which proved to be a PR challenge for their mother. "And every weekend was a nightmare, because we had to work to make sure that them being regular teenagers didn't wind up on Page Six," Michelle Obama told Kelly Ripa on her podcast "Let's Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa." She would go on to explain, "They had to drive and they had to go to prom and they were on teams and they traveled to other schools and they had to do college searches, and they went to parties and they had drinks, and they tried out smoking and they did all the things." 

But, with their father's high-profile position as President of the United States, this typical teen fun was a danger to the family's public image and to the girls' reputations when they grew up. Despite being preoccupied with the great pressure of his job, their behavior did not go unnoticed by their presidential father, which a source claimed was a nightmare for Barack Obama too. At the time, excusing away their behaviors as normal teen stuff made sense, but it may have been assumed that the sisters would grow out of this habit, something that Malia seemingly isn't ready for yet.