Swarm — Donald Glover’s meditation on toxic internet fandom, not so subtly modeled after Beyoncé’s Beehive — is one of Prime Video’s buzziest new series. In addition to the Atlanta creative team at the helm, the show boasts Dominique Fishback, Chloe Bailey, Damson Idris, Billie Eilish, Rickey Thompson, Paris Jackson, Rory Culkin, Kiersey Clemons, and Byron Bowers as its cast. More surprisingly, Swarm also credits Malia Obama as a writer.
The former first daughter has had a number of high-profile entertainment industry internships, including at the Weinstein Company and HBO’s Girls. Swarm, however, marks Obama’s first major television writing gig. Read on to see what she contributed to the series.
What is Swarm?
Created by Glover and Atlanta writer-producer Janine Nabers, Swarm stars Dominique Fishback as Dre, a super fan of the pop star Ni’Jah (Nirine S. Brown) whose obsession takes a violent turn.
What Did Malia Obama Write for the Show?
Television writers rooms are very collaborative, and President Obama’s eldest daughter is credited as a staff writer on all seven episodes of Swarm’s first season, meaning she contributed in some way to the script of each episode. Nabers spoke highly of the budding writer in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. “Some of her pitches were wild as hell, and they were just so good and so funny,” she said. “She’s an incredible writer. She brought a lot to the table. She’s really, really dedicated to her craft.”
Obama specifically wrote the teleplay to “Girl, Bye,” the fifth episode of the season that is “probably one of the wildest episodes,” according to Nabers. “I think it’s going to surprise a lot of people. It’s pretty dope. I’m really proud of it.”
Where Can I Watch Swarm?
All seven episodes of Swarm are now streaming on Prime Video. Check out a teaser for the series — and a clip of Eilish, making her acting debut in the show — below.