celebrity kids

Gayle King says Malia Obama doesn't need her father's famous last name to make it in Hollywood ... because her work speaks for itself.

We got Gayle in New York City on Thursday and our photog asked her about Malia dropping Obama from the credits in her movies and rolling with her first and middle names.

Malia wants people to focus on her art and not her Obama heritage.

Malia Obama thinks dropping her famous last name from the credits of her movies will make people forget who her parents are ... but we've got some debate about this in today's TMZ TV Hot Take.

Barack Obama's daughter is directing movies now and going by Malia Ann ... but Harvey and Charles aren't convinced that's going to be enough to throw folks off her scent.

We discussed it all on "TMZ Live" ... including a look at how nepotism seems to be changing in Hollywood these days ... at least with the younger generations.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Barack Obama says his daughters are trying to pave their own path to success without using their prominent last name -- especially Malia, who went so far as to change her credit in her directorial film debut.

The 44th president sat down with hosts Fred Taylor and Ryan Clark on "The Pivot" podcast for a wide-ranging interview, during which Barack addressed how his daughters Sasha and Malia deal with having such a famous last name.

Clark was first to bring up the subject, asking Barack if he and his wife, Michelle, have discussions with their girls about making it on their own.

Before they were superstars, these adorable kiddos loved dressing up for Halloween, but can you tell who these celebs are -- back before they were in front of the flashing lights?

Demi Lovato, Kendall and Kylie Jenner and Ethan Slater are just a few of the lil' tykes who sported a cute costume back in the day -- but good luck guessing which one is them!

This actress is known for her thrilling work in horror movies ... some may even deem her as the ultimate "scream queen!" But is this witchy gal who you think it is?

Even as a dressed-up princess, this singer couldn't "ignore the crazy visions of her living in LA" one day ... Can you guess who she is?

Keke Palmer is getting real about her tumultuous relationship with ex Darius Jackson, saying she had to turn to the courts in a desperate attempt to bring back order when things spiraled out of control.

The actress told PEOPLE it was the toughest experience she’s ever faced ... revealing that a lot was happening behind closed doors, especially with the birth of their son Leo last year and her fame putting major stress on their relationship.

Keke dives into it all in her upcoming book, "Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative," dropping Nov. 19 -- and she needed plenty of pages to unpack everything -- including that infamous moment when Darius publicly called out the outfit she wore to an Usher concert last year.

Keke also sought a temporary restraining order against Darius, alleging instances of domestic and emotional abuse.

Despite things having spiraled so deeply out of control, the estranged exes settled amicably and got joint custody of their son months later ... and looking back, Keke admits she wished she could say Darius was terrible the entire time, but the situation wasn't that black and white.

Don’t expect to see Ian Somerhalder onscreen again any time soon -- he's put acting on the back burner for now, with no plans to jump back in.

At the Environmental Media Association Awards Gala, Ian came clean about soaking up every inch of his laid-back farm life with actress wife Nikki Reed and their 2 young kids -- so much so, that he believes his entertainment career is officially "in the rearview mirror."

Ian did pause a bit on those thoughts, though -- he mentioned to PEOPLE he recently regained the rights to "V Wars," the 2019 sci-fi series he and Nikki starred in together ... but he's not quite sure how they'd bring it back to life in the form of another show.

Before this cute festive kid with face paint turned into an American YouTuber and singer, he was just 15 years old, starting his YouTube channel, before heading off to Hollywood to start his entertainment career.

While his early content consisted of baking and his everyday life in small-town Texas, he now has garnered millions of views, like his "Heather" music video, which has over 172 million views.

He's a known "Swiftie," and when he dropped his "Kid Krow" album, he got a personal shoutout from none other than Taylor herself!

Before this Texas native and cutie pie in pink turned into an American actress and singer, she was moving to Edgewood, Florida with her rents and lil' bro, and dressing up as her favorite princess for Halloween.

Contrary to her days as a princess, one of her most recognizable roles was playing a vampire, where she drank the blood of Ian Somerhalder's character. She also played the fantasy roles in "The Originals" and "Legacies."

Musically, this shining star released her debut album, "It's Always The Innocent Ones" back in 2006 and was a backup singer for Miley Cyrus in 2007-2008.

Jesse Williams' ex-wife's asking the court not to make any changes to their custody arrangement ... saying giving Jesse more time with the kids just means they'll see their nanny more.

The actor's ex, Aryn Drake-Lee, filed a response to Jesse's motion asking for more time with their children Wednesday ... saying Williams is out of town more than he's in town, so a babysitter will primarily be interacting with their kids if they stay with him more.

Drake-Lee claims their kids stayed with a nanny for much of this past spring while Williams was off working somewhere ... and says the kids missed more school during this period than any other time in their lives.

Halle Berry's going to like this ... the judge in her never-ending custody battle with ex-husband Olivier Martinez sided with her in a dispute over their co-parenting agreement.

Here's the deal ... over the summer, Halle claimed Olivier was trying to take time off from co-parenting therapy, and she complained and asked the judge to force Olivier to go back.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge sided with Halle ... but did note Olivier had already complied with her request after she dragged him to court over the issue.

Diddy's kids are speaking out in the wake of their father's incarceration and growing legal controversy ... posting their support of the music mogul in a joint statement.

In a message shared to Instagram, Diddy's children -- D'Lila, Jessie, Justin, Christian, Chance, and Quincy -- reflected on the last month's events ... and how it "has devastated our family."

The rapper's children wrote ... "Many have judged both him and us based on accusations, conspiracy theories, and false narratives that have spiraled into absurdity on social media. We stand united, supporting you every step of the way. We hold onto the truth, knowing it will prevail, and nothing will break the strength of our family."

Before this sweet boy in his proper baby outfit turned into a socialite and real estate agent, he was just roaming the halls of the Waldorf Astoria, attending elite schools and growing up with two older sisters and one younger bro.

You may hear or read more about his two famous sisters, as he's more low-key, but he still cashes in on his real estate earnings. He has 3 children -- welcoming his 3rd earlier this year with wifey, Tessa.

Need another clue? His last name is a famous Hotel chain ...

Eminem's go-to singer Skylar Grey has full confidence the legendary rapper's parenting skills will translate when his first grandson arrives -- as well as all the hijinks he's known for!!!

The tenured songstress was instrumental in breaking Em's daughter's baby news in their latest duet "Temporary" from his latest album, "The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)."

TMZ Hip Hop linked with Skylar at LAX on Thursday and she's happy to be here ... her résumé lists Em, Dr. Dre and most recently, Jelly Roll as studio counterparts -- and life couldn't be better.

Well maybe a little better when Hailie Jade welcomes her firstborn with husband Evan McClintock.

Skylar tells us straight-up there will be good f***ery ... the possibilities of Em and his grand-mini-me are endless, especially since he finally buried his Slim Shady alter-ego with the last hurrah.

Kaskade -- the DJ best known for songs like "Escape" and "I Remember" -- is getting divorced, TMZ has learned.

The star's wife, Naomi Raddon, went to court Thursday to file for divorce from her husband -- real name Ryan Gary Raddon. She cites irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.

She lists the date of separation as June 27 of this year -- bringing the marriage that lasted nearly 28 years to a close.

Safaree’s attempt to lower child support payments to his ex-wife Erica Mena has resulted in a volcanic eruption of receipts ... surveillance video appears to show Erica being a human tornado inside his home ... while his mother got a good look at his schlong!!!

Neither are mainstays on "Love & Hip Hop" anymore, and Safaree has been pushing for the courts to lower his child support, which missile-launched a flurry of "deadbeat" allegations from Erica all week.

To defend his name, Safaree dropped a 30-minute vlog capturing Erica in the act of smashing furniture in his home as their children looked on -- but she's willing to cease fire.