Malia's stage name was revealed during the Sundance Film Festival, where she premiered her film, 'The Heart.'
Whoopi Goldberg would like for people to mind their own business!
On Wednesday's episode of The View, the co-host had some choice words for the people who are pushing back at Malia Obama's decision to professionally go by Malia Ann, which was revealed during the premiere of her short film, at the Sundance Film Festival.
"She knows she's an Obama, why do you care?" Whoopi posed as she introduced the Hot Topic discussion. "Why do you care what she calls herself? If she wanted to call herself Jeanette MacDonald, she has the right to."
Whoopi -- whose real name is Caryn Elaine Johnson -- called back to her decision to have a stage name.
"If I can be Whoopi Goldberg, she can be whoever the hell she wants to be," she said. "Why are people triggered about this kind of stuff? Why are people wasting their time?"
Joy Behar used the moment to celebrate the work Malia's parents, Barack and Michelle Obama, did during their eight years in the White House, and shade another first family in the process.
"It's not like her last name is Nixon," the comedian quipped. "Her last name has great vibes around it."
The other View co-hosts -- Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines and Alyssa Farah Griffin -- also agreed that it's Malia's decision and it should be done without backlash.
As Goldberg continued to defend Malia, she pointed out -- without naming names -- other political families and their business dealings that the public should worry about.
"Leave this child alone, leave her alone," she said. "You wanna be worried about something, worry about whose running for president. This girl's a filmmaker, she's doing her thing. I don't understand why people feel the need to crush other people's dreams. When people do that to you, it crushes you. Can you stop?"
Whoopi asked the public one more time to worry about the things that she believes really matter, and not someone who is celebrating their art.
"My point is if you're gonna worry about something, worry about stuff like that," she said. "Don't worry about this girl who's doing her thing."
On Saturday, Malia, 25, made her Sundance Film Festival debut for the premiere of her directorial debut, the short film The Heart. Malia's movie premiered at the Park City, Utah-based film fest as part of the U.S. short fiction films programming block.
Malia marked the milestone by working her first red carpet for the film's premiere at the Prospector Square Theater. The former first daughter was all smiles as she bundled up against the chilly Park City weather in a full-length gray sweater, long gray knit scarf, white button-down shirt and black leggings, paired with boots.
The young filmmaker spoke about the short film in a "Meet the Artist" video series created for this year's festival, where fans first noticed the moniker change.
"The film is about lost objects and lonely people and forgiveness and regret, but I also think it works hard to uncover where tenderness and closeness can exist in these things," Malia shared in the video interview. "We hope you enjoy the film and it makes you feel a bit less lonely, or at least reminds you not to forget about the people who are."
RELATED CONTNET:
