Barack Obama has been all over social media timelines and TV screens due to the highly-anticipated opening of his Chicago-based presidential center — and fans can’t get enough of seeing our forever President consistently like it was when he was in office.
However, while many long believed they knew pretty much all there is to know about his background, fans experienced a massive shock when they uncovered the roots of his family tree.
In a now-viral video clip, Obama excitedly greets and embraces his sister — but his siblings’ existence completely confused many viewers who never knew the Nobel Peace Prize winner had any.
In the caption of the video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, Obama shared heartfelt words about his sister.
“My sister Maya and I were profoundly shaped by the influence of our mom, Ann Dunham,” his caption began.
”Giving Maya a preview of the Obama Presidential Center, including a new sculpture by Maya Lin dedicated to our mom’s memory, was truly special,” Obama shared.
Maya Soetoro is one of Obama’s eight siblings, the bulk of which are from his father, but Maya Soetoro and Obama share the same mother.
According to the Obama Presidential Library, “His parents divorced when he was 2 years old and he was raised by his mother, Ann, who later married Lolo Soetoro, and his sister Maya was born in 1970. He also has several siblings on his father’s side.”
Per her official bio, “Soetoro is a scholar, educator, advocate, and attended Punahou School in Hawaii. [She] holds graduate and postgraduate degrees from Barnard College, New York University, and the University of Hawaii.”
She “also campaigned on Obama’s behalf in 2008 and 2012, and helped develop the Obama Foundation’s leadership programs in the Asia-Pacific region.”
Despite the details of Obama’s family being just a Google search away, many still couldn’t believe it, and they wasted no time expressing their thoughts on social media.
“I’m today years old finding out Obama has a sister,” a user on X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote.
“Wym Obama has a sister lmao. Since when. This is brand new news to me,” added another.
“Obama got a sister?” a third commented.
A fourth user pointed out a very interesting coincidence.
“Is it not a crazy coincidence that both President Obama and Vice President Harris both have a sister named Maya????” they wrote.
Obama previously shared what he hopes to accomplish with his presidential center, and the inspiration it gives to future generations.
“I’m not interested in the center and the exhibits being an exercise in nostalgia. I don’t want people to just be looking back and say, ‘Oh, wow. Hope and change. That was so much fun. And I miss you.’ Those are nice sentiments,” Obama told “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts in an ABC News special interview, “The Obama Legacy: First Joint Interview Post-White House,” alongside forever first lady Michelle Obama.
The 44th president summed up his vision for the center to Roberts simply: “What I want people to feel when they come through here is, ‘Oh, that was possible, which means I can do that.'”
