Michelle Obama's biggest challenge during her time living in the White House as First Lady of the United States was ensuring that her daughters, Malia and Sasha, had as normal a childhood as possible, and that included driving licences and, unfortunately, car accidents.
Speaking during an appearance on Kylie Kelce's podcast "Not Gonna Lie," Michelle revealed that one night she received a terrifying phone call that Sasha, her youngest, had been in an accident and that her car had been "T-boned".
A T-bone crash is when the front of one car hits the side of another car.
Sasha's accident
"Once they got their licenses, I told the agents, 'They have to drive,' because you can only learn to drive by driving, you can't learn it through osmosis in the back seat of an armored car," shared Michelle.
"So once they got their license, we got a car for them and then the agents had to figure out how to follow these teenagers to school, to parties, and it worked out – but one time Sasha got T-boned.
© Getty Images"Literally, her car was totaled, some lady T-boned her and you get this call that Sasha was in an accident. And then I thought, 'Oo I hope the lady that hit her is okay,' because can you imagine if you T-Boned Sasha Obama!'"
Community of trust
Sasha was okay, but Michelle shared the story as she spoke about the importance of "building a real community of trust around" her daughters.
"I didn't want them sitting home on Saturday night not understanding what it was like to be out and have a life before they went to college," she said, acknowledging the teenage years as the "stressful" years, and not them as children.
Individual identities
Michelle also spoke of how Malia and Sasha have also both carved out their own identities in the almost-decade since leaving the White House; Malia graduated from Harvard University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, and is now a budding film director, while Sasha graduated with a degree in sociology after transferring to USC from the University of Michigan in 2022.
© WireImage"I was so glad when we got out of the White House, I wanted them to have the freedom of not having the eyes of the world on them," she said.
"Although they still are dealing with paparazzi, being who they are and trying to carve out their own identity, they got a lot of practice in those years in the White House."
Both sisters now live together in Los Angeles and although Malia has pursued a career in filmmaking, working both as a writer, including on Donald Glover's Swamp and as a director, Sasha has stepped back from the work force to continue her education.
"Sasha is in school, Malia has a budding career in film. They are smart, they're funny, they're wise in their own ways and I love spending time with them," Michelle said during an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show.
