If Donald Trump went from being a reality show personality to the presidency, his predecessor Barak Obama appears to be going the other way around. Since his retirement as U.S. President in 2017, Obama and his wife and daughters have been active in several media.
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Barack Obama’s podcast with Bruce Springsteen
Former President Obama and his wife Michelle set up a production company in 2018: Higher Ground. One of its latest broadcasts is a very unusual podcast: Barack Obama himself, chatting away with Bruce Springsteen about marriage, kids, politics, and music. It’s called ‘Renegades: Born in the USA.’
(Image: Spotify, Rob DeMartin)
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Friends since 2008
Obama and Springsteen became close friends during the presidential campaign of 2008. They have always stayed in touch. In the first episode of their podcast, they talked about this “Unlikely Friendship” between two men who didn’t seem to have “a lot in common” at first sight.
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‘He’s a rock ‘n’ roll icon, I’m not as cool’
“He’s a white guy from a small town in Jersey. I’m a Black guy of mixed race born in Hawaii with a childhood that took me around the world,” Obama says in the podcast. “He’s a rock ‘n’ roll icon. I’m a lawyer and politician, not as cool. And as I like to remind Bruce every chance I get,” the former president jokes, “he’s more than a decade older than me. Although, he looks damn good.”
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Earlier radio work: Obama and Prince Harry
Besides the many interviews and speeches he gave as a politician in the media, Barack Obama has also had some radio experience in a more informal setting. He did an an interview with Prince Harry for BBC Radio 4 about the impact of social media on society and politics. Obama warned about the dangers of online echo chambers where people may develop completely diverging ideas about reality.
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Fond memories of Anthony Bourdain’s TV show
When the famous cook and TV personality Anthony Bourdain suddenly died in 2018, Barack Obama remembered him fondly on Twitter. He had participated in Bourdain’s show ‘No Reservations’ about hidden gastronomic gems in restaurants around the world. “Low plastic stool, cheap but delicious noodles, cold beer from Hanoi,” he tweeted. “That’s how I’ll remember Tony. He taught us about food, but more importantly, about his ability to bring us together.” Bourdain has undoubtedly influenced the TV aspirations of Obama himself.
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Higher Ground productions
Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company struck an enormous deal with Netflix in 2018. They were going to make programs for the streaming platform with both entertaining and informative segments. It’s an interesting way for the former First Couple to continue having a strong voice in society and try to lead an American (and global) audience to a better society.
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Entertaining, informative, and inspiring programs
The former president described their TV and podcast ideas as such: “Touching on issues of race and class, democracy and civil rights, and much more, we believe each of these productions won’t just entertain, but will educate, connect and inspire us all.”
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Michelle Obama in ‘Waffles and Mochi’
A striking example of this pursuit is Michelle Obama’s new cooking show for kids, ‘Waffles and Mochi.’ The series premieres on March 16 on Netflix. ‘Waffles’ doesn’t refer to what she will be cooking, but it’s the name of one of the two puppets helping her preparing dishes from all over the world. Education and entertainment at once.
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Experience with children’s education and… puppets
Michelle Obama has no background in television or film. She has, however, practiced during her years in the White House in creating campaigns for healthy food and exercise, and she has also worked with puppets before – as we can see here!
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Michelle Obama and Jill Biden in ‘The Voice’
Obama also participated in ‘The Voice’ one time, together with then-Second Lady Jill Biden, to celebrate the army’s support and animation organization USO. They didn’t actually sing in the show, but it was clear that Michelle Obama had a talent for presenting on television.
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How about the Obamas’ eldest daughter, Malia?
Currently in her senior year at Harvard University and due to graduate in May 2021, Malia has mostly been studying from home in the midst of the pandemic. In the meantime, she has also shown an interest in television that is similar to her parents’.
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Internship with ‘Girls’
Malia Obama did an internship with the HBO drama series ‘Girls,’ written and starred by Lena Dunham. The actress told Howard Stern that her intern was “an angel” and “very smart,” as cited by Hello Magazine.
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Lena Dunham about Malia: ‘totally enthusiastic’
“She was interning at HBO, and they thought, what if she comes a couple days a week to the set of Girls? She loved the show, and I mean, obviously we weren’t, like, making her go get our coffee,” Lena Dunham recalled, suggesting that the president’s daughter shouldn’t be doing menial jobs on set. “But she wanted to do all the jobs,” Dunham added with surprise. “That was the cool thing. She was totally enthusiastic.”
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Production assistant for ‘Extant’
After ‘Girls,’ Malia became a temporary production assistant for the CBS sci fi drama ‘Extant.’ On the set, she worked with Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry.
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Malia Obama: writer for Donald Glover?
And then, in February 2021, Hello Magazine reported that Malia Obama had landed a dream job, writing for a TV show by Donald Glover. Few details are known so far, but the fact that she has a job like this waiting for her after graduation is impressive in any case.
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Donald Glover’s big deal with Amazon
Actor and producer Donald Glover struck a package deal with streaming platform Amazon Prime Video to deliver various TV productions in the coming years. One of the ideas floating around among Glover’s team is the series ‘Hive’ about a female pop star resembling Beyoncé. Sources say that Malia Obama is probably going to write for this series.
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What about Sasha?
The youngest Obama daughter, Sasha, is still totally immersed in the college experience. She studies at the University of Michigan and has a few more years to go.
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Tik Tok!
That doesn’t mean she hasn’t appeared on camera though! In late 2020, Sasha Obama appeared with a group of college friends in a Tik Tok video doing a funky dance. The clip went viral and Sasha got both praise and criticism – the former mostly about her great looks and the latter about the fact that none of the students wore a mask and that they were dancing very close in the midst of a pandemic.
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The first years after leaving the White House
In any case, with or without TV and social media appearances, the four years after Barack Obama’s retirement as president (January 2017) have been very eventful for the Obama family.
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Decompressing: the summer of Barack
Right after he handed over his mandate, Barack Obama took a break and spent a two weeks’ holiday with his family on the British Virgin Islands and in Palm Springs, California. He even went kite surfing with millionaire Virgin owner Richard Branson.
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The Obamas’ first home after leaving the White House
After abandoning the White House, the Obama family entered this nice mansion in Washington DC. It includes a residency for the members of the Secret Service who will continue to provide security for the family.
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The Obama residence in DC
The Obamas inhabited this luxurious house in the exclusive Kalorama neighborhood of Washington D.C. until Sasha completed her high school education.
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Next: Martha’s Vineyard
The Obamas’ next stop was a gigantic mansion on Martha’s Vineyard, the upscale holiday destination right off Massachusetts. The island is green and has many opportunities for an active outdoor lifestyle. The Obamas like to go cycling.
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Secret Service protection for retired presidents
Wherever the Obama couple go, they have to be surrounded by a security team. The Secret Service is available to all former presidents. Since he left office in January 2021, Donald Trump has also had his own team of tax-paid bodyguards.
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Golf, much golf
While Barack Obama works on his media productions and participates in fundraisers and charitable projects, he is also often found on the golf course.
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Shopping in comfortable clothes
Here we see Barack Obama’s leisure look. The ex-president changed his usual suit and tie for this leather jacket which photographers caught several times during Obama’s (small and large) trips.
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A calmer work pace
After the hectic life of eight years American presidency, 2017 was a transitional year for the Obamas. The former president returned to a more normal pace of work and a little more freedom.
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A 60 million dollar memoir
One of his first actions was to sell his memoirs for about 60 million dollars, in addition to a book tour.
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Michelle: ‘Becoming’
Michelle’s autobiography followed in 2019. The book ‘Becoming’ was a major bestseller. In addition, Higher Ground Productions made a Netflix documentary about her book tour and parts of the former First Lady’s life.
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Public displays of affection with Michelle Obama
The couple often demonstrate their love for each other on social media. They work on a good public image on personal as well as professional terms.
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Charity but no politics
As a good ex-president, Obama supports noble causes such as post-hurricane reconstruction. However, he has been strikingly neutral when it comes to partisan politics. He mainly kept quiet during the early years of the polemical Trump presidency.
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Positivity and famous friends
His presence on Twitter suggests a general emphasis on positivity, looking towards a brighter future, and making peace with one’s opponents. He displays a passion for sport and good causes, for example by joining Prince Harry at the Invictus Games.
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Michelle Obama: her own office
Michelle Obama, after leaving her duties as first lady, set up an office in the West End area. While writing ‘Becoming,’ she continued to participate in good causes such as the promotion of sports and healthy foods. Her TV programs will also contribute to these goals.
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Presidential candidate?
Michelle was initially seen as a beacon of hope for defeating Donald Trump or another Republican candidate in a presidential election.
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Nope, she’s not running for President
But as it turns out, she doesn’t appear interested in the job. Obama is not following in the footsteps of Hillary Clinton. What’s more, as she recently told People Magazine, Michelle is “moving towards retirement” and taking on less work.
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Malia Obama since the White House
Malia Obama went to the same university where her father studied law: Harvard University. There, she often had to deal with harassment from the press. Journalists tried to interview her about her post-White House life, but she always refused because she wants to be ‘just another student on campus.’ While her father still receives secret service security, Malia no longer walks amidst bodyguards these days.
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Back home for a quarantine
The coronavirus pandemic brought Malia closer to her family, as they had to quarantine together in the Obama mansion. She even brought her boyfriend Rory Farquharson along, and the Obamas got to know their possible son-in-law very well in a very short time.
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Sasha Obama: new look and college life
Sasha Obama has changed a lot in the years after leaving the White House. From teenager to college student, she is in a transformative stage of her life. The quarantine with her mom and dad at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Michelle Obama commented to People Magazine, allowed the family to “get some stolen moments back with our girls” after they had been so busy in the White House.
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What else can we expect from the Obama media clan?
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