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Barack Obama

What has Barack Obama been up to? A look at the Democrat's life post-presidency.

April 3, 2025, 9:29 p.m. ET

Former President Barack Obama has kept busy since he left office.

From impromptu family vacations to court-mandated jury duty, the 63-year-old has led a pretty ordinary life in the years following his departure from the White House.

Other than a few appearances on the Harris-Walz campaign trail and funeral services for former President Jimmy Carter, Obama continues to keep his sight set on opportunities in media and entertainment. He, like other executive branch alumni, signed a deal with Los Angeles-based marketing firm Creative Artists Agency after his political tenure.

Obama and wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama, founded Higher Ground in 2018, a production company committed to telling "powerful stories that entertain, inform, and inspire — while elevating new and diverse voices in the entertainment industry."

Obama is also the author of three New York Times best-selling books, including the memoir "A Promised Land," released in November 2020 and "Renegades," released in October 2021. Obama routinely shares recommendations for books, movies and music on social media.

"He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Michelle. They have two daughters, Malia and Sasha," a bio from Barack Obama Books reads.

See what the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize recipient has been up to since leaving the White House in January 2017.

Barack Obama photobombs cherry blossom photoshoot

A cherry blossom photoshoot went south when Obama, unknowingly, stepped into the frame.

The former Illinois senator photobombed Virginia toddlers Preston and Belle while he was out for an early morning stroll around Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. Falls Church resident Portia Moore told USA TODAY that she did not notice the 44th president passing by until her husband pointed him out.

"Once their shoot is all done, I was like, 'Jamie, what did you say?' He was like 'That's President Obama over there,' and I was like 'Oh my goodness,'" Moore told USA TODAY Wednesday. "I was like, 'You should've grabbed me and made more of a big deal about it.'"

Photographer Briana Inell also did not notice Obama until her clients’ grandparents pointed out the Secret Service walking behind a familiar face.

"We asked them 'Um…was that Obama who walked by???' And they said yeah it was!" Inell wrote on Instagram. "So then I went through the photos on my camera card to see if I caught and to my surprise, I DID! And then me and my clients’ were like, how do we even continue our shoot now?!??"

Obama even responded to the photobomb on Instagram, commenting under Inell's post: "Preston and Belle, I hope you enjoyed peak bloom! My bad for stepping into the shot."

Moore said image will sit right at the center of a six-by-two grid framed at their home in Falls Church, about 10 miles from DC.

See Barack Obama's life post-presidency in pictures

Obama vacations off the coast of Moskito Island in the British Virgin Islands in on Feb. 7, 2017.
Obama is pictured with British billionaire Richard Branson off the coast of Moskito Island in the British Virgin Islands on Feb. 7, 2017.
Former President Barack Obama (2nd L), his wife Michelle (3rd L) along with his daughters Sasha (C) and Malia (2nd R) go rafting while on holiday in Bongkasa Village, Badung Regency, Bali, Indonesia June 26, 2017.
Former U.S. Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton attend the trophy presentation of the Presidents Cup at Liberty National Golf Club on Sept. 28, 2017 in Jersey City, N.J.
Former President Barack Obama and Prince Harry chat while watching the Wheelchair Basketball pool match between France and the United States during the Invictus Games 2017 at Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre on Sept. 29, 2017 in Toronto, Canada.
Obama meets competitors from Team USA on day 7 of the Invictus Games 2017 on Sept. 29, 2017, in Toronto.
Obama joins fellow former presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton to address the audience during a hurricane relief concert at Texas A&M University on Oct. 21, 2017, in College Station, Texas.
Obama speaks at the Obama Foundation Summit in Chicago on Nov. 1, 2017.
Obama arrives for Cook County jury duty at the Daley Center on Nov. 8, 2017, in Chicago.
Former President Barack Obama greets supporters after speaking at a get-out-the-vote rally at the Cox Pavilion as he campaigns for Nevada Democratic candidates on Oct. 22, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nev.
Former President Barack Obama and NBA commissioner Adam Silver before game two of the 2019 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena.
Former President Barack Obama meets with Swedish Environmental activist Greta Thunberg at the Obama Foundation headquarter in Washington DC on Sept. 16, 2019.
Former US President Barack Obama speaks during the funeral of late Representative and Civil Rights leader John Lewis(D-GA) at the State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia on July 30, 2020.
Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama arrive before the 2021 Presidential Inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2021.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park on Sept. 28, 2021 in Chicago.
ormer U.S. President Barack Obama (R) and Dr. Anthony Fauci (C), Director of NIAID, talk with elementary school students as they prepare to get their second vaccine shots at the Kimball Elementary School on November 30, 2021 in Washington, DC.
President Joe Biden fist bumps former President Barack Obama after Biden signed an executive order aimed at strengthening the Affordable Care Act during an event to mark the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act in the East Room of the White House on April 5, 2022 in Washington, DC. With then-Vice President Joe Biden by his side, Obama signed 'Obamacare' into law on March 23, 2010.
Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama unveil their official White House portraits, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Sept. 7, 2022.
(L-R) Democratic candidate for U.S. Senator John Fetterman, former President Barack Obama, Democratic candidate for Governor Josh Shapiro, and President Joe Biden raise their arms when departing after a rally at the Liacouras Center on Nov. 5, 2022 in Philadelphia.
Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama attend the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York City in 2023.
Former President Barack Obama walks off stage after delivering a speech during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 20, 2024
(L-R) President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton attend a memorial service for Ethel Kennedy on Oct. 16, 2024, at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, DC. Kennedy, a tireless advocate for human rights and widow of assassinated politician Robert F. Kennedy, died on Oct. 10, 2024 at the age of 96, her family said.
Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, campaigns with former President Barack Obama on Oct. 24, 2024 in Clarkston, Ga.
From L to R, former President George W. Bush, his wife Laura Bush, former President Barack Obama, President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump attend the State Funeral Service for former President Jimmy Carter at the Washington National Cathedral on Jan. 9, 2025.
(L-R) Former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President George W. Bush, former first lady Laura Bush and former President Barack Obama arrive to the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington.

Contributing: Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY

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