'Swarm' co-creator says Malia Obama wrote 'one of the craziest episodes'

In simpler times before the 'Nepo Baby' speech began, Donald Glover and Janine Nabers made headlines in 2022 when they hired former first daughter Malia Obama as a screenwriter for their FX series" Swarm". It seemed natural, given that the show dealt with the experiences of people who become famous at a young age, something Obama was forced to become familiar with, whether he liked it or not. It was an intriguing hire from the moment it was announced, and now we're starting to see the results.

TV is a collaborative medium by nature, and it's always difficult to gauge the impact a personal writer can have on a show. But it seems like the experiment is working quite well so far. In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Nabers said the writing team is thrilled with the impact Obama has had so far.

“Some of his presentations were crazy as hell, and they were so good and so funny,” Nabers said of Obama. "She's an amazing writer. She's brought a lot to the table. She's really, really dedicated to her craft."

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Nabers added that Obama is credited with writing the episode "Girl, Bye," which may end up being one of the most unique episodes of Season 1.

"['Girl, Bye'] is probably one of the craziest episodes," Nabers said. “I think it will surprise a lot of people. It's quite doping. I'm really proud of it."

Since "Swarm" premiered at SXSW, critics have hailed it as a unique exploration of the increasingly toxic nature of online fandom in 2023.

"Created by 'Atlanta' veterans Donald Glover and Janine Nabers, the horror satire centers on Dre (Dominque Fishback), an obsessed fan of global pop superstar Ni'Jah. Dre spends his days at "defending" the artist on social media and his nights listening to Ni'jah music, dancing to Ni'Jah music, or letting Ni'Jah music take him away from life's difficulties. Dre's fandom defines her because she wants him to define her; she's not interested in healthy debate or exploring other avenues. Just like religious acolytes or anyone who went to Harvard, sense Dre's self is completely defined by one thing," IndieWire's Ben Travers wrote in his review of the show. "Glover and Nabers' series never excuses Dre's actions, but it refuses to put them in a neat little box. Dre never becomes the kind of serial killer so out of touch with reality that it's easy to equate him to a complete work of fiction, even though the series pushes back against using simple "gory stories" to explain how people become "monsters". There is no traumatic porn here!)"

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