Ever since her father took office in 2009, Sasha Obama has been known almost solely as a president’s daughter. Growing up both in the public eye, but also under extreme protection, it’s safe to say that Sasha’s childhood was anything but ordinary. And yet, the famous daughter has had some moments over the years that help teens relate to her.
There’s more to know about this presidential daughter than just who her father is. The little girl who once lived in the White House is no longer so little. And now that Obama is all grown up and is no longer obligated to be the first daughter, she’s doing big things. While people of the United States and the world have seen Obama through the years, there are still quite a few things you probably don’t know about her — so let’s take a closer look at some unexpected facts about Sasha Obama.
Sasha isn’t her real name
We first met Sasha Obama during her father’s race for the White House. Once he won the election, then 7-year-old Sasha was instantly in public view. Over her father’s two terms in office, the world saw her grow up from a young girl to a full-fledged teenager. You would think by the time her father left the White House eight years later, there wouldn’t be much unknown about the teen. Not quite! Did you know that Sasha isn’t even her real name?
It turns out, Sasha is actually short for Natasha. Mind blown. Although this was first revealed in 2016 when news outlets reported she was using her full first name for a summer job on Martha’s Vineyard (more on that later), it flew under the radar. That is, until Twitter user Ashley C. Ford shared the news in 2017 (via Refinery29), sending all of Twitter into a frenzy. One Twitter user commented on the first daughter’s name, sharing, “My life is a lie.”
Sasha Obama had a childhood scare
It’s not common knowledge, but Sasha Obama got very sick when she was incredibly young. Former president Barack Obama reflected on the experience in a campaign video that Politico reported on. “People ask me what was the hardest time in my life — they ask, well what about during the debt ceiling debate and this and that and the other thing,” he noted. But those situations paled in comparison to what he went through when his youngest daughter was an infant. “Sasha got meningitis when she was 3 months old,” he revealed. “I still remember going to the hospital together and they had to give her a spinal tap.”
“Your world narrows to this very small point,” he continued, describing how it felt at the moment. “There’s one thing you care about and you don’t care about anything else.” Fortunately, Sasha made a full recovery and lives a happy and healthy life to this day.
Meeting Ryan Reynolds was major for Sasha Obama
Sometimes it’s hard to picture Sasha Obama as a real teen going through the same things as the average kid, but then those beautiful moments happen to remind the world that Sasha Obama is super relatable and just like everyone else growing up… well, most of the time.
A perfect example of this came in 2016 when Obama attended her first state dinner. It just so happened that there were some celebrities there, including the crush-worthy Ryan Reynolds. And let’s just say, being the daughter of the president has some major perks as Obama had the opportunity to meet the actor.
As Time reported, there was a great photo-op where Obama met Reynolds with her sister Malia looking on, giving a thumbs up to her lucky sister. Obama’s joy at meeting the actor is just how other teens — and, honestly, adults — would react during that interaction. You go girl.
Can Sasha Obama take your order?
Being the president’s daughter doesn’t necessarily leave you with any special treatment — at least when you’re an Obama. Like many teens who end the school year and head into summer with a lot of time on their hands, Sasha Obama landed herself a summer job. Customers who visited Nancy’s, a seafood restaurant on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, in the summer of 2016 may have noticed an employee who looked familiar. No, that wasn’t a trick of the eye. You really were being served by a first daughter.
As the Boston Herald later reported, then-15-year-old Sasha Obama worked the takeout window at the restaurant for the summer months that year, accompanied by Secret Service agents. A fellow waiter told the Boston Herald, “We were wondering why there were six people helping this girl, but then we found out who it was.” Not exactly your typical summer job experience, but close enough!
Sasha Obama is besties with Joe Biden’s granddaughter
Having a friend who gets your way of life is key. This is why it makes total sense that one of Sasha Obama’s best friends is Maisy Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden’s granddaughter. Both girls were in the spotlight from a young age, which seems to have helped the ladies relate to one another. It also doesn’t hurt that they have more in common than just that. Obama and Biden played basketball together and they both love soccer, according to the Chicago Tribune.
They’re school friends too, having attended Sidwell Friends School in Washington. And, as the ultimate test of friendship, the two have even vacationed together in the past. As Us Weekly reported, the two were seen hanging out in Miami in early 2017.
Sasha Obama had a pretty normal upbringing for a first kid
Despite growing up in the most public possible way, Sasha Obama had a relatively stable upbringing, thanks to Michelle and Barack’s hands-on method of parenting. According to the New York Daily News, she wasn’t allowed to watch television or use the computer during the week unless it was for homework purposes. She ate dinner with her family most nights at 6:30 and had her fair share of chores. She also took piano lessons and enjoyed going to the movies, and to the mall with friends.
Barack and Michelle tried hard to make things as normal as possible for Sasha. Michelle discussed this at a summit for the Obama Foundation, according to In Style. She said that rather than feel sorry for her daughters, she accepted that they “were living in a bubble, that every misstep for them would be on YouTube.” However, there was no room for pity. She continued, “But our view was this is their life, and we can’t apologize for the life they have because a whole lot of it is good.” No doubt that kept Sasha grounded.
Sasha lives with her sister Malia in LA
Sasha Obama transferred from the University of Michigan to attend USC in 2022. As Sasha’s mother, Michelle Obama, revealed during an appearance on NBC News (via Page Six), Sasha moved in with her older sister, Malia, in Los Angeles. “We were going to take them to dinner, and they said, ‘Why don’t you come over to our spot for cocktails?’ And we were like, ‘OK let’s see what this is going to be like,’” Michelle said. “The martinis were a little weak. I don’t think they really knew what it was.”
As Michelle went on to explain, the two young women have become “best friends.” “The thing that I love the most is that those two girls are each other’s best friends,” she said, adding that in LA, they were “in that place where they’re one another’s support systems and they’ve got each other’s backs, it’s the thing that a mother would want.”
Despite her mother’s dislike of them, Sasha Obama has a tattoo on her arm
In 2022, it was revealed that Sasha Obama may have gotten a tattoo — even though her mother, Michelle Obama, had previously spoken out against them. As the Daily Mail reported, Sasha was spotted with what appeared to be a delicate hot air balloon tattoo on her inner elbow. The colorful ink adds to Sasha’s individual and unique style.
However, it seems that Sasha went against her mother’s wishes with the tattoo. “My generation didn’t…tattoos meant something totally different,” she explained to Kelly Clarkson on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” “We used to threaten our kids. If you get a tattoo, we’re going to get exactly the same kind, and show it on TikTok or whatever.” Their plan was to “take the cool all away,” as Michelle put it. Since then, Michelle has come to understand that expressing your style is about “individuality” rather than any “value system.” So, who knows, maybe Barack has a hot air balloon tattoo on his arm, too.
