Malia Obama, the daughter of former US President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, is currently facing allegations of copying an indie filmmaker’s work in her debut Nike commercial. The accusations were made by Natalie Jasmine Harris, a 27-year-old filmmaker, who claimed that the scenes in Obama’s commercial, particularly one featuring two young Black girls playing pat-a-cake, closely resemble her 2024 Sundance short film, ‘Grace’. Harris expressed her disappointment, stating that she felt “hit hard” upon seeing the ad, as she believes it heavily borrowed from her work without giving proper credit.
Harris took to social media to share side-by-side comparisons, pointing out similarities in camera angles, shots, framing, and color palette between her film and Obama’s commercial for A’ja Wilson’s debut A’One sneaker. She expressed her feelings in a tweet, saying, “Been sitting with this for a while. My Sundance short film GRACE was made with deep love and care. The social cut of the new Nike commercial directed by Malia Obama feels shockingly similar to my work.”
The internet quickly responded to Harris’s claims, with some users agreeing that the similarities were striking, while others defended Malia Obama, suggesting it was a coincidence or that the concept was not unique. Despite the mixed reactions, Harris stood by her assertion, calling out the need for recognition and proper acknowledgment in the creative industry.
It is worth noting that Malia Obama and Natalie Jasmine Harris had crossed paths at the Sundance Film Festival the previous year, where both had films in competition. Harris’s 14-minute film ‘Grace’ was screened at the festival, while Obama also made her red-carpet debut, choosing to go by “Malia” to avoid any nepotism accusations.
The controversy surrounding the alleged plagiarism in Malia Obama’s Nike commercial continues to spark discussions about originality, credit, and integrity in the world of filmmaking and advertising. The outcome of this situation remains to be seen as both parties navigate through the implications of these accusations.
