The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.
Barack Obama reveals Malia’s British boyfriend quarantined with the family: ‘He’s a good kid’
Ex president did not identify daughter’s boyfriend but says he is a ‘wonderful young man’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Former President Barack Obama has opened up about his family’s time in lockdown, revealing that his daughter Malia’s British boyfriend quarantined with them early on.
Obama shared the detail about his daughter’s dating life during an appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast, where he was asked about his favourite moments in quarantine with his and Michelle’s daughters, Malia, 22, and Sasha, 19.
According to the former president, the time spent together as a family was enjoyable because “all the teenage stuff is kinda gone now”.
“It's a blessing because all the teenage stuff is kinda gone now and they're just back and they love you again and they want to spend time with you and they're funny,” he explained.
As for how they spent the first month in quarantine, Obama said the family passed the time playing games - before revealing that Malia’s boyfriend had joined them.
“I think, [like] a lot of families, we went through that first month where we were playing games every night and doing little arts and crafts projects and then slowly they started to get a little bored with us,” he said. "Maybe teaching Malia and Sasha, and Malia's boyfriend who was with us for a while, spades, and then having some spades games. And teaching them how to properly trash talk and slap the cards down..."
While the father-of-two did not reveal the name of Malia’s boyfriend, he did share further details about him at the pressing of podcast host Ben Simmons and guest Bakari Sellers.
"He’s British, wonderful young man, and he was sort of stuck because there was a whole visa thing and he had a job set up,” Obama revealed. “So we took him in and I didn’t want to like him, but he’s a good kid."
While Obama gave his approval of his daughter’s boyfriend, he did say that one thing that surprised him about the family’s guest was how much he ate.
"The only thing you discover - this is not a surprise to you, Bill, because you've got a son - young men eat,” Obama joked. “It's weird to watch them consume food. My grocery bill went up about 30 per cent.”
Malia is currently a senior at Harvard University.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments