What Barack Obama's Life Has Really Been Like Since He Left The White House

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Chicago politician Barack Obama was elected 44th president of the United States of America in 2008. The first Black man to ever hold that office, Obama served two consecutive terms in the White House. During those eight years, his various accomplishments ranged from reforming the American healthcare system to ordering the assassination of Osama bin Laden, a pretty broad spectrum from any assessment.

After being elected to the nation's highest office, U.S. presidents typically step away from the public eye, writing books, giving speeches, and focusing on the completion of their presidential libraries and other projects. George W. Bush, for example, retreated to his Texas ranch after his two terms and has become a painter, reportedly specializing in portraits of cats. 

When Obama left office in January 2017, he was 55 years old — seemingly too young to walk off into the sunset and fade from view like his predecessor. For Obama, his post-POTUS life has involved a mixture of public and private work, making a mark in the private sector by embracing a whole new career while continuing to lend his voice to Democratic causes, such as his work campaigning for Kamala Harris' failed presidential bid in 2024. For a more in-depth look at what he's been up to, read on to find out what Barack Obama's life has really been like since he left the White House.

Shortly after exiting the White House, the first order of business for Barack Obama was a much-deserved family vacation. The February 2017 getaway came courtesy of British billionaire Sir Richard Branson, who welcomed the Obamas as his guests at his private Moskito Island in the British Virgin Islands. During that vacation, Brandon accompanied the ex-president on a kiteboarding adventure. 

That actually marked Obama's first time attempting to kiteboard — a combination of paragliding and surfing. This, Branson explained, fulfilled Obama's eight-year desire to get back on the waves. "One of the first stories Barack told me when he and Michelle arrived on Moskito Island was how, just before he became president, he had been surfing on a dangerous break in Hawaii," Branson wrote in his blog. "When he came in from an exhilarating session, the new head of his security team turned to him and said: 'This will be the last time you surf for eight years.' For the next eight years he didn't have the chance to surf, enjoy water sports or do many of the things he loved."

Not surprisingly for a billionaire mogul and an ex-president, the fun and games turned competitive, with the two men ultimately battling to see which of them could remain aloft for the longest. According to Branson (who was likewise a newbie to the sport), he felt he'd won when he managed to travel about 50 meters above the water's surface — until Obama took his turn, and surpassed 100.

When parts of Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands were hammered by three massive hurricanes in 2017, Barack Obama gathered together with all of America's living ex-presidents to mount a relief effort. Joined by Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, the five former commanders in chief put their backing behind a unique fundraising concert that crossed political divides. While he didn't attend the October 21, 2017, concert, President Donald Trump appeared in a pre-recorded message.

Held at Texas A&M University — home of the first President Bush's presidential library — the event featured performances by country band Alabama, Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave fame), gospel singer Yolanda Adams, Texas-born singers Robert Earl Keen and Lyle Lovett, and the evening's big draw, pop sensation Lady Gaga. Ultimately, the effort raised $31 million to be put toward rebuilding efforts for those who'd lost their homes to the hurricanes. "So, all of us here on this stage could not be prouder of the response of Americans. When they see their neighbors, they see their friends, they see strangers in need, Americans step up," said Obama in his remarks.

Shortly after appearing onstage in Texas with his fellow former presidents, Barack Obama made a different kind of appearance: in a Chicago courtroom. In late October 2017, he was called for jury duty in Cook County and made it clear that he intended to fulfill his civic duty. 

Sure enough, when the court date arrived the next month, Obama showed up — accompanied by a Secret Service detail and a cavalcade of reporters — at the municipal building in Chicago's Daley Center. He didn't wind up serving, though; Obama was one of the jurors to be randomly dismissed. Despite that, a spokesperson confirmed that Obama would receive his full day's pay of $17.20, which he planned to return.

Even though he didn't need to, Obama stuck around to shake hands and chat with his fellow jurors, some of whom brought copies of his book for him to sign. According to the judge who dismissed Obama, the fact that he didn't try to wriggle out of his civic duty should serve as an example to others. "If the former president of the United States takes his time to come, anybody ought to be willing to come," Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans told the Chicago Tribune.

In 2018, Barack and Michelle Obama formed a production company, Higher Ground Productions, and signed a multi-year deal with the streaming service Netflix to create a widespread array of content, including scripted series, unscripted series, documentaries, feature films, and more. According to a statement from the former president, he and his wife had ambitious aspirations for Higher Ground, hoping the content produced would "cultivate and curate the talented, inspiring, creative voices who are able to promote greater empathy and understanding between peoples, and help them share their stories with the entire world."

The following year, the company's goals came into sharper focus with an announcement of Higher Ground's upcoming production slate. "We created Higher Ground to harness the power of storytelling," said Obama. "That's why we couldn't be more excited about these projects."

Those initial projects included the documentary "American Factory," a scripted historical drama called "Bloom," a scripted anthology series "Overlooked" (based upon the New York Times column telling the stories of remarkable people who were never given obituaries), and "Crip Camp," a documentary about a groundbreaking summer camp for disabled youngsters. While some of these projects never took off, the deal was ultimately pretty successful — "American Factory" ended up winning the Obamas' production company the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and "Crip Camp" was nominated for an Oscar in the same category.

Barack Obama published two books before his presidency: 1995's "Dreams from My Father" and 2008's "The Audacity of Hope." His third book, arguably his most ambitious, came out after his exit from the White House, the 2020 memoir "A Promised Land."

"Part of the goal of the book was to connect my personal journey with the public life that people saw," Obama told Vanity Fair while promoting the book. "What I wanted to do for the reader, particularly for young people, is to give them a sense of commonality between their day-to-day choices, decisions, insights, hopes, fears, and what somebody who ends up being the president of the United States is going through."

The potent power of storytelling not only drove Higher Ground Productions but was also the impetus behind "A Promised Land." As Obama told the magazine, experiencing the story of somebody's life brings about empathy, while the reverse is also true. "If you can't see somebody's backstory, that's how we end up reinforcing our prejudices, our biases, our fears, that's how we then perpetrate cruelty on other people," he explained.

In 2015, after several institutions put forward bids, Chicago won the right to become home to Barack Obama's official presidential library. "His journey began on the South Side, and now we know that it will come full circle, with his library coming home to the South Side of Chicago," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said during a ceremony announcing the Obama Presidential Center, as reported by The New York Times.

Plans progressed, but it wasn't until 2021 that Barack and Michelle Obama attended a groundbreaking ceremony at the center's site. "This day has been a long time coming," the former president said during the ceremony for the $800 million project, which was expected to revitalize a part of Chicago that had historically been economically depressed.

After more than a decade, the Obama Presidential Center was finally set to open in June 2026. The complex will include a museum, several auditoriums housed within the Forum Building, an NBA-regulation basketball court, and a variety of park-like outdoor spaces throughout a 19.3-acre campus. The main building includes an 83-foot-tall stained glass window, and portions of a 2015 Obama speech have been incorporated into portions of the actual walls.

Barack Obama has had a long relationship with Bruce Springsteen. In fact, the Obamas and the Springsteens' longstanding family friendship began in 2008, when the musician — a lifelong Democrat — first threw his support and his star power behind the senator's presidential campaign. The two couples began socializing, forming a solid friendship that has endured ever since.

In 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ex-president and the New Jersey rock legend teamed up for a podcast, "Renegades: Born in the USA." Released in February 2021 on Spotify, the eight-episode podcast featured candid conversations between the two men, covering topics beyond just music, from marriage to what America's future holds. 

The podcast spawned a book of the same name, which came out later that same year. When the two men discussed the project during an appearance on NPR's "All Things Considered," Obama explained how this latest venture continued his quest for storytelling as a way to bring people together. "The truth is that either we tell each other stories that allow us to see each other as fellow travelers and humans, or we have conflict and clash and whoever gets the most power wins," Obama said, explaining how revisiting stories from America's complicated history can inform its future. "Maybe that will allow us a chance to get back to a place that is an inclusive common story about America," he added.

Higher Ground Productions continued to generate content, including popular podcasts and an array of eclectic projects for Netflix, such as the NBA docuseries "Starting 5," the reality dating show "The Later Daters," the quirky comedy whodunit "Bodkin," and the educational kids' show "Waffles + Mochi." In 2022, the Obamas' status as Hollywood movers and shakers only strengthened when the company signed with top talent agency CAA.

The following year, Deadline reported that the former president made a visit to CAA's offices in Los Angeles to discuss future projects for Higher Ground. Even though CAA represents some of the planet's most famous folks, Obama's presence dwarfed the star power of even the biggest celebrity. According to an eyewitness in the building, when Obama arrived, accompanied by a coterie of Secret Service agents, "Lightning bolt went through the floor when we heard he was here."

By all accounts, Obama was far from a dilettante and took his production duties seriously. "He had a lot [of] notes about the characters and the empathy we would have for them," writer and producer Sam Esmail ("Mr. Robot") told Vanity Fair, describing his experience working with the Obamas on the Netflix film "Leave the World Behind." "I have to say he is a big movie lover, and he wasn't just giving notes about things that were from his background. He was giving notes as a fan of the book, and he wanted to see a really good film."

From the outside looking in, it certainly appears that Barack and Michelle Obama live a wildly lavish life. With both generating income from their respective speaking engagements, lucrative book deals, and their Netflix contract with Higher Ground, it's safe to say that their net worth has increased significantly since exiting the White House. While details of the Netflix deal have never been disclosed, it's been speculated to be valued at around $60 million, while their book deal for two memoirs was reported to be worth a staggering $65 million.

Both Obamas' books were massive hits. Michelle Obama's 2019 memoir, "Becoming," and its 2022 follow-up, "The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times," were both bestsellers. Meanwhile, the ex-president's memoir, "A Promised Land," sold nearly 900,000 copies within the first 24 hours of its release.

Estimates of the Obamas' net worth have varied widely. A 2018 report from The New York Post stated their net worth was at $135 million, while a Forbes report from 2024 offered an estimate of $70 million. Still, whatever the amount, it's clear that life after the presidency has been lucrative for Barack and Michelle Obama.

Donald Trump's dogged pursuit of the "birther" theory — that Barack Obama was not born in America, and thus an illegitimate president — has been consistently disproven. Trump's animosity toward the former president was only further incensed after Obama mocked the thin-skinned Trump at the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner with a scathing stand-up comedy routine. When he was questioned by reporters about the mysterious Epstein files in the summer of 2025, Trump deflected by claiming Obama had worked to sabotage his first term as president. "The witch hunt that you should be talking about is they caught President Obama absolutely cold," Trump declared, as reported by BBC News. "He's guilty. This was treason."

In fact, a press release from the Trump administration's Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, claimed Obama had created a "false" narrative that Trump's 2016 election was aided by Russian interference. "This kicked off what would essentially be a yearslong coup" to attempt to remove Trump from office, which she described as a "treasonous conspiracy." Gabbard and Trump's allegations were ultimately discredited by the very documents she claimed had proven them.

Since leaving office, Obama had typically remained silent about Trump's ongoing criticism. False accusations of treason, however, crossed the line. "Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response," read Obama's statement of response, via The Guardian. "But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction."

The Trump administration's claims of imaginary treason weren't the only false accusations to be hurled at Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle. In August 2025, a Vanity Fair profile of beloved "Friends" alum Jennifer Aniston featured her comments about her friendship with the Obamas. She also addressed rumors that had been floating around the internet, which claimed she and the former president had been engaged in a torrid affair. "I don't think anyone really pays attention to reports like that if you're the subject of them," she said. 

Meanwhile, the former first lady also found herself subjected to unfounded rumors, with word spreading that she'd had an affair with actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani, whose credits include the HBO comedy "Silicon Valley" and the Marvel movie "The Eternals." While appearing on the "So True" podcast, Nanjiani revealed the bizarre way he and his wife, Emily V. Gordon, found out about the rumor. "My friend, our mutual friend, pulled Emily aside and was like, 'Hey, so I heard that Kumail and Michelle Obama are like doing it.' And she was like, she wasn't even upset, but multiple people brought it up to me," Nanjiani recalled (via The Independent).

Nanjiani set the record straight. "I have never met Michelle Obama," he insisted.

Shortly after taking office in 2009, Barack Obama shared his summer reading list, unveiling the books he'd plan to plow through during his annual family vacation in Martha's Vineyard. That became an annual tradition, with Obama's recommendations transforming those selected books into bestsellers.

After exiting the White House, Obama continued the tradition, expanding his purview by including music and film in a separate year-end list. In 2025, he once again shared his summer reading list, which included a biography of Mark Twain, the real-life survival story "A Marriage at Sea," and "The Sirens' Call," by MSNow anchor Chris Hayes. 

At the end of the year, Obama offered his annual year-end best-of list, documenting his favorite stuff from 2025. The new book from wife Michelle Obama, "The Look," was among them. He also shared his favorite films ("Hamnet," "Sinners," and "One Battle After Another" made the cut), and music (an eclectic list that included Lady Gaga, K-pop group BLACKPINK and, of course, Bruce Springsteen). "As 2025 comes to a close, I'm continuing a tradition that I started during my time in the White House: sharing my annual lists of favorite books, movies, and music," he tweeted. "I hope you find something new to enjoy — and please send any recommendations for me to check out!" Perusing the lists, it's clear Obama definitely keeps busy.