In May 2023, Sasha Obama graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in sociology, a degree that allows her to make forays into different professional areas. The entertainment industry isn’t one that’s normally associated with that background, yet that’s the path the youngest of Barack and Michelle Obama’s daughters appears to have chosen. While none of the Obamas have discussed Sasha’s professional ventures, the credits for Season 4 of “Couples Therapy” suggest she has been working on reality TV.
While unrelated to her degree, Sasha’s choice isn’t exactly surprising. After all, she is the daughter of the founders of Higher Ground, the production company behind the Oscar-winning Netflix documentary “American Factory.” This is a business the Obamas are passionate about. “Barack and I have always believed in the power of storytelling to inspire us, to make us think differently about the world around us, and to help us open our minds and hearts to others,” Michelle said in a statement about their partnership with Netflix.
It’s unclear if the former president and first lady encouraged Sasha to give show business a shot. But they are probably relieved it isn’t the one career Barack and Michelle never want Malia and Sasha to consider. “Michelle drilled into them so early that you would be crazy to go into politics. It will never happen,” Barack said during a June 2024 fundraising (via ABC News). The Obamas can breathe easier because, if the signs aren’t deceiving us, Sasha is interested in TV.
Sasha Obama is apparently trying her hand in casting
Sasha Obama may have worked behind the scenes on the Paramount+ show “Couples Therapy.” The credits for Season 4 listed its casting interviewer as Natasha Obama, which happens to be Sasha’s real name. As the couples featured are the heart and soul of the popular show, fans have long been interested in how they’re cast. One such viewer waited for the credits to roll out in hopes of finding out more about the casting team when the name caught their attention.
Google wasn’t much help. Determined to get to the bottom of the issue, the diligent viewer turned to Reddit for help. “I thought maybe it’s an Obama relative or not related at all. But then I get ONLY results for Sasha Obama, because ‘Natasha’ is her full name and no other results! Could it really be THAT Natasha Obama who is casting ‘Couples Therapy?????'” the user asked. The netizen’s fellow Redditors generally agreed it has to be the former first child, given that Obama isn’t a common last name in the U.S.
One of the commenters who responded to a casting call shared that they had been interviewed by the show’s co-founder, Elyse Steinberg. But Obama’s name appears to have been credited only in Season 4, indicating she may be a new addition. That means she could be the one who interviewed the couples for the latest season. If so, Obama proves the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree.
Sasha Obama is following in Malia’s footsteps
Sasha Obama isn’t the first Obama child to go into the entertainment industry. Malia Obama has been working in showbiz since 2014, when she interned as a production assistant on “Extant,” the CBS science fiction series starring Halle Berry. She went on to intern on the set of Lena Dunham’s HBO show “Girls,” taking another big step in her career. In 2022, Donald Glover hired Malia as a writer for his Amazon Prime series, “Hive,” and he couldn’t be happier with the decision.
“She’s just like, an amazingly talented person,” Glover told Vanity Fair in March 2022. “She’s really focused, and she’s working really hard.” The “Atlanta” creator also predicted Malia would go on to leave her mark in the industry. “Her writing style is great,” he said. She is certainly working towards that goal. In January 2024, her first project as a director, a short film titled “The Heart,” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Interestingly, like her sister, Malia goes by a different name in her film career. But her choice is a bit bolder than Sasha’s. Instead of tweaking her first name, she dropped her last name entirely and used just Malia Ann, her middle name. To many, Malia’s move was an attempt to avoid nepotism discussions that inevitably come with being the child of famous parents, but it didn’t go unnoticed. “Obama’s daughter trying to sneak past Nepo baby discourse by not using her last name,” one wrote on X, previously known as Twitter.
