Obamas, Netflix In Talks For A Possible Deal: What You Won't See

Former President Barack Obama is reportedly in talks with Netflix for a production deal. The possible deal, which was reported by The New York Times, would involve Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, producing or maybe appearing in a series of shows. One possibility for the deal would be Obama moderating a series or producing a show that highlights inspirational stories.

Since leaving the White House, Obama has maintained a low profile and has rarely responded to policies passed and promoted by President Donald Trump's administration and the Republican controlled Congress, many of which have been in direct conflict with the policies Obama championed. That's not to say he's been totally silent.

After Trump took office, Republicans began the first of three pushes to overhaul Obama's signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act. While accepting the JFK Profile in Courage award in May, Obama spoke of the courage lawmakers showed in passing the ACA and called for the same courage among current members of Congress regardless of party to maintain the expanded insurance program.

While details of the Obama/Netflix deal — which is in "advanced" negotiations per the Times — are not final, we do know what viewers won't get from a possible partnership:

• According to the Times, Obama does not intend to use his Netflix shows to directly respond to Trump or conservative critics.
• Neither would the platform be an answer to conservative media like Fox News or Breitbart, according to the Times. But as the paper notes, Netflix would give Obama an "unfiltered method of communication with the public." Netflix has some 118 million subscribers across the globe.

Obama has expressed an interest in digital media and has lamented the polarized nature of media. When his presidency was nearing its end, there were rumors that he would launch a media company or possibly a Netflix show but the White House said at the time he had no plans to get into the media business. Earlier this year, Obama appeared on David Letterman's new Netflix show where he said people who watch Fox News are living on a different planet than someone who listens to NPR.

The possible Netflix deal also involves Michelle Obama. According to the Times, one possible program could feature Michelle Obama on topics like nutrition. The Obamas could also put their weight and endorsement behind "documentaries or fictional programming on Netflix that align with their beliefs and values," according to the Times.

Read more via The New York Times here.

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