Malia Obama Accused Of Plagiarism In Nike Commercial: ‘Shockingly Similar’

Malia Obama is facing backlash from an independent filmmaker who claims the former first daughter’s new Nike commercial bears striking similarities to her own work.

Natalie Jasmine Harris, a 27-year-old filmmaker, accused Obama of copying key scenes and stylistic elements from her 2024 short film Grace for a Nike ad released earlier this month — the first commercial directed by Obama.

Harris says the similarities go beyond surface-level storytelling.

Been sitting with this for a while. My Sundance short film GRACE (shot brilliantly by Tehillah de Castro) was made with deep love and care. The social cut of the new @Nike commercial directed by Malia Obama (who was also at Sundance my year) feels shockingly similar to my work… pic.twitter.com/iy2N2krpQN

— Natalie Jasmine Harris (@nataliejharris) May 6, 2025

“It’s not about the game,” Harris told Business Insider. “It’s about the cinematic tools used to depict it.”

Harris cited a number of technical parallels, including identical camera angles, shot composition, and a nearly indistinguishable color palette. One particular scene in the Nike ad — featuring two young Black girls playing Pat-A-Cake — mirrors a shot in Grace that Harris said was deeply personal and central to her film’s message.

“It’s devastating,” Harris wrote on X, alongside a side-by-side visual comparison of the two scenes. She emphasized that her frustration isn’t with Obama personally but with an industry that sidelines indie creators in favor of celebrity clout.

“I know art often overlaps, but moments like this hit hard when you’ve poured your heart into telling stories with care and barely get the recognition you deserve,” she posted. “If brands want a certain look, why not hire from the source instead of for name recognition?”

I know art often overlaps, but moments like this hit hard when you’ve poured your heart into telling stories with care and barely get the recognition you deserve. If brands want a certain look, why not hire from the source instead of for name recognition? @Nike @_ajawilson22 pic.twitter.com/Y57ACZiPRe

— Natalie Jasmine Harris (@nataliejharris) May 6, 2025

Harris added that the situation reflects a broader trend of major brands tapping high-profile names while overlooking emerging talent with original voices.

“It speaks to a larger issue of brands not supporting independent artists and opting for folks who already have name recognition, which doesn’t breed innovative films or original storytelling,” she said. (RELATED: Senior VA Lawyer ‘Engaged In Nepotism’ To Get His Wife An Agency Job)

The two filmmakers are not strangers. They met at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where both had projects in competition. It was Obama’s red-carpet debut, marking her first public step into the film world after she announced she would drop her last name professionally to avoid being labeled a “nepo baby.”