Co-creator of “Swarm” in the episode Malia Obama

In a simpler time before the “Nepo Baby” discourse began, Donald Glover and Janine Nabers made headlines in 2022 when they hired former First Daughter Malia Obama as a writer for the FX series “Swarm.” It seemed like a natural fit, given that the show dealt with the experiences of people who rose to fame at a young age, something Obama was forced to learn about, whether he liked it or not. The pass has been interesting from the moment it was announced and we are now starting to see the results.

Television is an inherently collaborative medium, and it’s always difficult to gauge the impact an individual writer can have on a show. But the experiment seems to be working pretty well so far. In a new interview with him Fun tonightNabers said the writing staff is thrilled with Obama’s impact so far.

“Some of his pitches were wild as hell and so good and funny,” Nabers said of Obama. “She is an incredible writer. He brought a lot to the table. He is very, very dedicated to his craft.”

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

“(‘Girl, Bye’) is probably one of the wildest episodes,” Nabers said. “I think it will surprise a lot of people. It’s pretty rough. I am very proud of you.”

Since its debut at SXSW, “Swarm” has been hailed by critics 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), a fan of international pop superstar Ni’Jah. Dre spends his days “protecting” the artist on social media and his nights listening to Ni’jah’s music, dancing to Ni’Jah’s music, or otherwise letting Ni’Jah’s music distract him from life’s difficulties. Dre’s fandom defines him because he wants it to define him; not interested in healthy debate or exploring other avenues. Much like religious students or anyone who went to Harvard, Dre’s sense of self is 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 refuses to put them in a neat little box. Dre never becomes a serial killer so detached from reality that it’s easy to write it off as complete fiction, even as the show pushes back on using simple “sob stories” to explain how people become “monsters.” (No trauma porn here!)

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