Michelle Obama Makes A Stunning Amount Of Money Post-White House

Michelle Obama has entered a new tax bracket since she left behind her FLOTUS title. Of course, that shouldn't be surprising. As the first lady, Michelle wasn't allowed to take home a salary — despite the immense work she completed during the presidency of her husband, Barack Obama. Therefore, leaving the White House actually opened up Mrs. Obama's financial opportunities. But before we dish about how much money Michelle has made since 2017, you should know that she was a money magnet before her husband became the POTUS.

According to Politico, Michelle's 2006 tax returns revealed that she made $316,000 in 2005. As the publication noted, Michelle earned almost twice as much as Barack when ignoring his book earnings. While they didn't reveal precisely how Michelle made her money, she held several well-paying jobs before 2009. According to WhiteHouse.gov, Michelle once worked as a lawyer and an associate dean for the University of Chicago. Michelle was also the president of community and external affairs for the University of Chicago Medical Center in 2005, which means that it likely contributed to the six-figure salary on her tax returns. 

Of course, Michelle is making much, much, much more today.

You can add "world-renowned author" to the list of things Michelle Obama has achieved. Rich too. In 2017, Penguin Random House shelled out $65,000,000 in a joint publishing deal for herself and her husband, Barack Obama — whom they'd worked with before — according to the Financial Times. "We are absolutely thrilled to continue our publishing partnership with the president and Mrs. Obama," said the publisher's chief executive. "With their words and their leadership, they changed the world." Although their $65,000,000 advance was reportedly one of the highest payouts in publishing history, it seems Penguin Random House made a smart investment from Michelle's success alone.

Since signing this deal, Michelle has most notably released her memoir titled "Becoming." The popular title has sold over 17 million copies as of July 2022, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Michelle has also released a second book called "The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Certain Times," which wasn't released under her and Barack's previous deal. You know what that means! Someone cut Mrs. Obama another hefty check. And one can assume she didn't come cheap. By the way, "The Light We Carry" has since become a New York Times and USA Today bestselling book. No wonder the Obamas can live such lavish lives.

Michelle Obama has been a prolific public speaker since the early days of Barack Obama's political career. Since the Obamas left the white house, the demand for Michelle's public speaking skills has grown stronger. Fortunately, you can book Michelle to speak at your event — assuming she feels its a worthwhile cause. However, it's going to cost you a ton of money. According to the Daily Mail, Mrs. Obama made almost $750,000 for one speech in September 2023. Yes — $750,000 for one day's work! As the publication noted, the lucky venue was a German tech fair, where 5,000 people gathered to hear Michelle spew her excellence.

As the NY Post reported, Netflix also signed Michelle and Barack Obama to a $50,000,000 production deal in 2018. "Barack and I have always believed in the power of storytelling to inspire us, to make us think differently about the world around us, and to help us open our minds and hearts to others," said Michelle Obama (via Variety). "Netflix's unparalleled service is a natural fit for the kinds of stories we want to share, and we look forward to starting this exciting new partnership," she added.

Yeah, Michelle Obama is definitely rolling in it.