Malia Obama, Barack and Michelle Obama’s oldest daughter, is a proud Harvard graduate, but a shady rumor about her progress at the prestigious university once circled her name. Before we dig into the gossip, a little backstory: Back in 2016, Malia took a gap year after high school, but she had a spot at Harvard University waiting for her in 2017. “The President and Mrs. Obama announced today that their daughter Malia will attend Harvard University in the fall of 2017 as a member of the Class of 2021. Malia will take a gap year before beginning school,” said the White House, per the New York Times.

Ahead of her departure, Barack joked to Ellen DeGeneres that while he wasn’t ready for her to leave the nest, she was excited to enter the next phase of her life. “Both of my daughters are wonderful people. Malia’s more than ready to leave but I’m not ready for her to leave,” Obama shared on DeGeneres’ talk show (via PBS). “She’s one of my best friends. It’s going to be hard for me not to have her around all the time, but she’s ready to go. She’s just a really smart, capable person and she’s ready to make her own way.” 

Malia ultimately graduated from Harvard in 2021 before embarking on her successful screenwriting career. However, a pesky rumor about Malia’s time at Harvard – that she was expelled — started circulating before she even got her foot in the door.

Malia and Sasha Obama have both fielded salacious rumors throughout their years in the public eye, but a rumor about Malia’s Harvard admission turned out to be one of the most unflattering (and most untrue). In 2017, months before Malia officially started her freshman year at Harvard, a website called The Last Line of Defense published an article claiming that the institution had expelled Malia because she’d indulged in illegal drugs. “Malia Obama, who has decided that as an adult she wants to be a pot smoking, rap listening, twerking party girl, has been ousted from the student roster at Harvard University,” read part of the article (via AOL). However, the satirical website was never meant to be taken seriously.

Despite the rumor swirling around about Malia, she started her freshman year at Harvard a few months later without incident. But that doesn’t mean the experience was easy on her father, Barack Obama. While appearing on an episode of “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction,” hosted by David Letterman, Barack revealed that his emotions were in overdrive when it was time for Malia to move into her dorm. “Michelle, she had like a cleaning glove, one of those yellow ones, she’s scouring the bathroom,” shared the former president (via CNN). “Sasha … was helping make the bed and fold clothes … and I was basically useless.” Though somehow we doubt that!