Netflix’s Our Oceans brings third Emmy win for Barack Obama

Barack Obama just received his third Emmy Award, thanks to his narration on Netflix's Our Oceans. The five episode series takes viewers through the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic, Southern and Arctic oceans, using immersive cinematography to spotlight both wonder and fragility beneath the waves. The award singled out the episode that focused on the Indian Ocean, which critics and voters praised for it's emotional throughline and clarity of narration.

Our Oceans pairs James Honeyborne's wildlife filmmaking with a production scale built for theatrical television. The series premiered in 2024 on Netflix, and the show leans heavily on advanced underwater camera work and intense editing to make complex science more accessible and understandable. The show has been noted for it's technical brilliance and effects, and of course, Obama's narration.

Although the politician was not in attendance during the ceremony, the award was received by comedian Jordan Kleper. It's also a notable achievement, considering he was up against some serious contenders like Planet Earth: Asia’s David Attenborough, Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Color’s Idris Elba, The Americas’ Tom Hanks and Octopus!’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Barack Obama's past Emmy wins

Barack Obama's second act in nonfiction storytelling has been unusually prolific. Since 2022 he has won two Creative Arts Emmys previously for Outstanding Narrator, turning a presidential cadence into a steady awards run. The Television Academy lists three wins for Obama: 2022, 2023 and 2025, each for Netflix documentaries produced in partnership with his Higher Ground company.

His first win came at the 2022 Creative Arts Emmys, when he was named Outstanding Narrator for the five part series Our Great National Parks, specifically for the episode A World of Wonder. That victory made headlines because it was widely reported as the first competitive Emmy snagged by a former U.S. president.

In 2023 Barack Obama won again, this time for narrating Working: What We Do All Day, a Netflix miniseries that explores the meaning of work across different American lives. The Television Academy credits him as the winner in the Narrator category for the episode The Middle, reinforcing that his voice has become a distinct creative signature.

Collectively, these wins follow Obma's purposeful pivot from politics to producing and presenting nonfiction that foregrounds the environment and labor. Higher Ground's collaboration with established nature and documentary filmmakers helped position Obama as a reliable narrator voice, and the Television Academy's records and mainstream coverage reflect that critical and institutional recognition.

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Critics and audiences praised Barack Obama's warm, clear narration for making complex subjects feel human and urgent, boosting viewership and acing attention significantly.

Our Great National Parks, Working: What We Do All Day and Our Oceans are available to stream on Netflix.

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