Regina King Thanks Sasha and Malia Obama for Friendship With Late Son

By Leah Degrazia Jan 22, 2026 9:47 PM

| Updated 34 minutes ago

"Ian introduced me to so many things," she shared. "Malia and Sasha will tell you this, when Ian discovers something, he wants to share it and he wants to tell you all about it."

And Michelle echoed that sentiment, noting in the caption of Instagram clip of the podcast episode that Ian was "one of the first friends Malia and Sasha made when they moved to L.A."

The former first lady added, "Regina raised him to be such a kind, thoughtful, and grounded young man."

Another way Regina, 55, is ensuring her son's legacy lives on? She created a wine label called MianU to pay tribute to his spirit, creativity and love for connection. 

"Our memories stopped for a bit, so [I'm] trying to find ways to create new memories with Ian," Regina explained. "It kind of came to me that, 'Ian, we're gonna make a wine.'"  

This isn't the first time Regina has gotten candid about her grief over Ian's sudden passing. Last March, the Caught Stealing actress shared why she believes it's crucial to speak out about the complex emotions that she's felt since he died days after his 26th birthday. 

"I understand that grief is love that has no place to go," Regina told Good Morning America's Robin Roberts at the time. "I know that it's important to me to honor Ian, the totality of who he is, speak about him in the present, because he is always with me."