The Stunning Transformation Of Sasha Obama

After having to deal with Secret Service agents accompanying her on dates, it must’ve been a relief for Sasha Obama when she could finally go out with a boyfriend sans her security detail. The lucky guy was Clifton Powell Jr. — director, writer, and former college basketball player, and also the son of Hollywood royalty Clifton Powell.

The Daily Mail was one of the first outlets to break the news that Sasha had a new man in her life, a discovery that was, in part, thanks to Sasha’s mom’s appearance on Ellen, where she let slip that both her daughters have boyfriends. “Now they’re bringing grown men home,” Michelle told Ellen DeGeneres. “Before it was just like a pop band, now they have boyfriends and real lives,” she said.

Sasha likely started dating Powell shortly after transferring to the University of Southern California. The Daily Mail published pictures confirming that Sasha and Powell were a couple, and the latter’s father confirmed it when he made an appearance on the “Dear Fathers” podcast a few months later. “Mr. Obama has a daughter that’s dating my son, and I have an opportunity and a responsibility to make my son responsible, gentle, kind, loving, and supportive,” Powell said. “I text him all the time, and I said, ‘Treat Sasha like you would want somebody to treat your daughter.’” Powell also noted that, at the time, Sasha and his son had been dating for over a year.