President Barack Obama is now three-for-three at the Emmys. The 44th President of the United States added another trophy to his collection Sunday night, winning Outstanding Narrator at the Creative Arts Emmys for his work on Netflix’s natural history series Our Oceans.
The five-part series, which premiered in November 2024, takes viewers on a 75,000-mile journey across the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic, Arctic, and Southern oceans, revealing how deeply human life is connected to marine ecosystems.
Obama’s narration threads the series with warmth, authority, and urgency, a style that has become his hallmark in the documentary space.
This is Obama’s third Emmy win in as many years, all with Netflix projects under his Higher Ground banner. He previously won in 2022 for Our Great National Parks, which he produced, and in 2023 for Working: What We Do All Day, a four-part documentary that explored the changing nature of labor in America.
This year, Obama beat out heavyweight contenders including David Attenborough (Planet Earth: Asia), Idris Elba (Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Color), Tom Hanks (The Americas), and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Octopus!).
While not the first U.S. president to receive an Emmy, Dwight D. Eisenhower earned the Governors Award in 1956, Obama is the first to win competitive Emmys for specific television projects.
Produced by Freeborne Media and Wild Space Productions, and executive produced by Blue Planet II’s James Honeyborne, Our Oceans combines stunning visuals with an urgent message about environmental stewardship.
Each episode highlights how ocean life is shaped by human choices on land, reinforcing Obama’s longtime advocacy around climate change and conservation.
With three Emmys now joining his Grammy, Obama continues to carve out a surprising post-presidency legacy as a decorated storyteller.
While he’s not yet on EGOT watch, there’s no Tony or Oscar on the shelf; his run at the Emmys underscores how seamlessly he has transitioned from political leadership to cultural influence.
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