Why Malia And Sasha Obama Rarely Give Interviews
Former First Daughters Malia and Sasha gave their first public interview in the Netflix documentary Becoming about Michelle's life. Malia and Sasha entered the White House when they were 10 and 7 years old, respectively, and during their eight years when Barack was President, they never did a public interview.
Their privacy had a lot to do with Barack and Michelle's desire to make sure they didn't fall victim to the press. In 2013, the Becoming author admitted she limited her daughters' access to social media. "I still am not a big believer in Facebook for young people — particularly for them, because they're in the public eye. Some of it's stuff they don't need to see and be a part of," told ABC News correspondent Barbara Walters. Michelle has never explicitly said that she had a rule against the girls doing interviews, but it wouldn't be shocking if she did.
Years later, Michelle spoke to Meghan Markle in the September 2019 issue of British Vogue about the fear she had when her daughters were in the public eye and how she tried her best to protect them. "There's only so much we can control. And, boy, have I tried — especially at first. As mothers, we just don't want anything or anyone to hurt our babies," she said. "Bruised knees, bumpy roads and broken hearts are part of the deal. What's both humbled and heartened me is seeing the resiliency of my daughters."
Michelle was afraid Malia and Sasha would be harshly bullied
Being in the White House put a microscope on Malia and Sasha when they were young. Barack and Michelle's daughters were often criticized for little things regarding decorum, which probably contributed as to why they only felt comfortable doing an interview for their mom.
Former First Daughters Jenna and Barbara Bush, as well as Chelsea Clinton, all helped Malia and Sasha when it came to the online bullies. "I love those girls; I will love them forever for what kind of support they provided to my daughters. They always had their backs," Michelle said on Good Morning America in 2018 (via People). "Somebody went after them in the press, Jenna would get in there and say something. Chelsea would send a tweet out, and that made a big difference."
Michelle was overcome with fear about how her daughters would be treated in the media, but she has since eased up. She told Gayle King at Essence Fest in 2019, "Barack's like 'You seem so much less stressed,' and I'm like, duh! Not only were we parenting teenagers, but every Saturday night you had to worry about whether your kid is gonna end up on Page Six."