"Never Knew!": Rare Video of Barack Obama and Sister Maya Soetoro

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A rare video of former United States President Barack Obama spending time with his younger half-sister has captured the internet's attention.

The clip has left many social media users completely surprised, as a large number of people are only just finding out that the former president has a sister.

The X video was shared by @beingblackislit on June 25, 2026, after Obama uploaded a heartfelt post dedicated to her.

His younger sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, is an accomplished Indonesian-American educator, author, and peace advocate. The siblings share the same mother, Ann Dunham, but have different fathers.

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While dedicated followers of Obama's life are well aware of his family background, the video introduced a vast portion of the public to his maternal sibling for the very first time, triggering widespread curiosity about his extended family structure.

The X post below has Barack Obama's original video with his sister Maya.

The online community reacted with widespread fascination, with many admitting they had no idea about his sister, while others pointed out his larger family tree.

YEN.com.gh has compiled some reactions to the viral post below:

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Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that two concerned citizens have petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno, to investigate and possibly arrest Power FM presenter Salifu Mugabe Maase over allegations that some District Police Commanders are supplying firearms to armed robbers.

In a letter dated Monday, May 25, 2026, and addressed to the IGP at Police Headquarters in Accra, the petitioners, Kwaku A.D. Takyi, popularly known as Sir Obama Pokuase, and Ibrahim Kamaldeen, described the claims allegedly made on Power FM by Maase as serious criminal allegations.

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Ruth Sekyi (Entertainment Editor) Ruth Esi Amfua Sekyi is a Human Interest Editor at YEN.com.gh with 4+ years' experience across radio, print, TV, and digital media. She holds a B.A. in Communications (PR) from UNIMAC-IJ. Her media career began at Radio GIJ (campus radio), followed by Prime News Ghana. At InstinctWave, she worked on business content, playing major role in events organized by the company. She also worked with ABC News GH, updating their site, served as Production Assistant. In 2025, Ruth completed the ECOWAS, GIZ, and MFWA Information Integrity training. Email: ruth.sekyi@yen.com.gh