Who is Sasha Obama's boyfriend? Clifton Powell's son is a college hoop star turned writer
Just days after Michelle Obama's Ellen appearance in which she gushed about her daughters, it emerged that Sasha Obama is dating Clifton Powell Jr., the son of 'Ray' actor Clifton Powell, 66.
The couple is believed to have gotten together after 20-year-old Sasha moved to Los Angeles last August to take up a course at USC. Malia Obama, 23, has been dating her British boyfriend Rory Farquharson since meeting him at Harvard in 2017, but Sasha's relationship is quite recent. Powell Jr., a former college basketball star who currently works for Nike and Peloton, was reportedly also close friends with Ian AlexanderJr. -- the only son of Powell's 'Ray' co-star Regina King. Ian committed suicide in January at age 25.
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According to the Daily Mail, Powell Jr. has lived a luxurious lifestyle just like Farquharson, who was brought up in a $2.2m six-bedroom home in Suffolk and attended the coveted Rugby School. Powell Jr. is the second child of his actor father and wife Kimberly Crooms, 58. He has an older sister May, 29, and was brought up in the family's posh Ladera Heights home. His mother Kimberly runs a successful interior design firm called whateverUneed Designs, as well as a catering company called Chef Kim that offers custom meal preps and diet consulting. Meanwhile, his sister May runs her own beauty business called Suga Honey Glam Incorporated, specializing in nail art.
It's worth noting that Powell Jr. attended the private Village Christian High School in the San Fernando Valley, which charges a whopping $28,340 a year and promises "an excellent Christian education." Upon graduation, Powell Jr. won a four-year basketball scholarship at the University of California at Santa Barbara. However, he transferred out of the Santa Barbara Gauchos less than a year later to focus on film work.
UC Santa Barbara sophomore Clifton Powell Jr. tells us he is transferring from the program. Has his full release in hand #PhenomHoops pic.twitter.com/6nR5z5IVDu
— Phenom Hoop Report (@Phenom_Hoops) December 18, 2017
In his basketball bio, the 24-year-old was candid about his hopes for a career as a broadcaster. He spoke of his love of films, with the NWA biopic 'Straight Outta Compton' being his favorite movie. He has set himself up as a commercial director since leaving college, with a website that uses his nickname CP3 in the title. He has reportedly created content for Peloton and Nike. He also made a video titled 'Rookie Ratings' for Madden NFL 22, a video game based on the National Football League.
Powell Jr.'s bio mentioned how he began his new career as a writer creating scripts for TV, which eventually landed him a "development deal in the TV space." It continued, "Finding an extended passion in directing and visual storytelling. He continued to work at the craft of directing and was quickly thrown into the fire, which forced him to adjust and learn fast. And he did, and continues to learn something new every production he takes on." That said, Powell Jr. has reportedly already met former FLOTUS Michelle, although it's unclear if he has met his girlfriend's iconic father, Barack Obama. According to the report, the former President has been welcoming of Malia's boyfriend Rory, who stayed at the family's Washington D.C. residence during the lockdown in 2020.