Barack Obama Launching New Book Podcast as Obamas Expand Post-White House Media Empire
Former President Barack Obama is launching another podcast as he and former first lady Michelle Obama continue expanding their media business nearly a decade after leaving the White House.
The six-episode series, titled “A Great Book With Barack Obama,” is scheduled to debut next month. The podcast is being produced through Higher Ground, the production company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama in 2018, in collaboration with Audible.
Obama said the series is intended to encourage Americans to rediscover reading at a time when fewer people are sitting down with books. Each episode will focus on a book that influenced his thinking about subjects including politics, faith, American society and race.
The six books selected for the series are “The Fire Next Time” by James Baldwin, “Song of Solomon” by Toni Morrison, “All the Pretty Horses” by Cormac McCarthy, “Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson, “All the King’s Men” by Robert Penn Warren and “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” by John le Carré.
Obama said he has invited friends to join him for conversations examining why the books remain important and how literature can shape the way people understand themselves and others. The identities of the guests participating in the limited series have not yet been announced.
The project represents the latest addition to the Obamas’ growing collection of entertainment and media ventures since Barack Obama left office in January 2017. Higher Ground has expanded into podcasts, documentaries, television and movies while working with some of the biggest companies in the entertainment industry.
Michelle Obama previously teamed with Audible and Higher Ground for “Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast,” which released 11 episodes between 2023 and 2024. Barack Obama also recently co-hosted an eight-part podcast with author Malcolm Gladwell focused on the Reconstruction era following the Civil War.
Higher Ground’s other projects have included the Oscar-winning documentary “American Factory,” the Netflix thriller “Leave the World Behind” and “Rustin,” a biographical film about civil rights leader Bayard Rustin. The company has allowed the Obamas to maintain a major presence in American culture long after leaving Washington.
Barack Obama has also continued promoting books, movies and music through the recommendation lists he regularly releases. His annual selections have become widely circulated online, allowing the former president to maintain considerable influence in entertainment and publishing.
The new podcast extends that strategy directly into literature. Rather than simply recommending books, Obama will now devote an entire series to discussing some of the works that shaped his worldview, giving the former president another major media platform as he and Michelle continue building their post-White House business ventures.