Barack Obama Reveals He Watched His Daughter’s Work on ‘Swarm’
Barack Obama revealed that he watched daughter Malia’s work on Prime Video’s Swarm.
In a conversation with Hasan Minhaj on the comedian’s YouTube channel, Obama explained that he watched the drama series as a form of support. Donald Glover’s involvement was a plus, too.
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“I watched it because, A) I was a big fan of Atlanta,” he said. “And I watched it because my daughter worked on it. So, of course, I’ve got to watch it.”
The former Patriot Act host asked the former president about the show’s pilot, which featured a sex scene between Damson Idris’ Khalid and Chlöe Bailey’s Marissa that Dominique Fishback’s Dre watched through a crack in the door.
“Look, if what you are suggesting is that there are aspects of that show that I found a little disturbing,” Obama said before trailing off. “That’s the nature of art these days, and at [this] moment, and that’s OK.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, the two men spoke about Obama’s “Best of” lists that he releases each year, mental health, why it’s important to continue to fight climate change even though it at times feels hopeless and the upcoming presidential election, among other things.
The Hollywood Reporter reported that Malia Obama joined the writers room early in Swarm‘s development. The series follows Dre, who travels cross-country to see Beyoncé-like figure Ni’Jah at Bonaroo. Along the way, she meets a slew of characters and commits a slew of crimes, many of which involve murder.
In his review of the series, THR’s chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg wrote that “Fishback’s stretch as one of entertainment’s most reliable and overlooked actresses should reach a turning point with Amazon’s Swarm.” He added, “Holding down nearly every second of the horror-comedy/road-trip hybrid, Fishback is scintillating, giving a performance that had me rewatching laugh-out-loud or heartbreaking beats.”
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