[448]
Barack and Michelle Obama signed a deal on May 22, 2018, to produce docu-series, documentaries and features for Netflix under the Obamas' newly formed production company, Higher Ground Productions.[449][450] Higher Ground's first film, American Factory, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2020.[451] On October 24, a pipe bomb addressed to Obama was intercepted by the Secret Service. It was one of several pipe-bombs that had been mailed out to Democratic lawmakers and officials.[452]
In 2019, Barack and Michelle Obama bought a home on Martha's Vineyard from Wyc Grousbeck.[453] On October 29, Obama criticized "wokeness" and call-out culture at the Obama Foundation's annual summit.[454][455]
Obama was reluctant to make an endorsement in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries because he wanted to position himself to unify the party, regardless of the nominee.[456] On April 14, 2020, Obama endorsed Biden, the presumptive nominee, for president in the presidential election, stating that he has "all the qualities we need in a president right now.