How much is former US first lady Michelle Obama worth?
When Michelle Obama first stepped out to campaign with Barack in the 2010 midterm US elections, her approval rating was 20 points higher than her husband's. Fast forward 11 years and the former US first lady's popularity has continued skyward. In that time, Michelle has evolved from a role model and advocate for women across the world to a bestselling author and one half of a colossal media company. RELATED: How Michelle Obama left her mark on the White House  Michelle Obama. (Getty)  Let's look at how Michelle's time in the White House to the public eye has affected her bank account. The former lawyer and university dean is estimated to be worth, according to the Evening Standard, about $40 million (about $52 million). Before her turn as first lady, Michelle reportedly earned a salary of more than $270,000 in 2006 from her role as vice president for community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals. She also has a share of a reported $65 million book advance with Barack and, more recently, an undisclosed amount for a Netflix deal. Michelle Obama stars in a new Netflix cooking show Waffles + Mochi for kids. Since leaving the White House, Michelle has continued her advocacy work and public speaking, particularly on the back of the success of Becoming. She also has her own podcast, The Michelle Obama Podcast, exclusively on Spotify through the Obama's Higher Ground production company. The exact sum agreed between Michelle and Spotify for the exclusive rights to her podcast are not publicly known. In early 2018, Michelle founded production company, Higher Ground, with Barack. The couple kicked off their new venture by signing with Netflix. It is not publicly known how much the deal is worth. Michelle with husband Barack and daughters Sasha and Malia. (Instagram)  However, you could expect it is in a similar ballpark or even more, than what Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes is getting (estimated to be more than $130 million) or Glee creator Ryan Murphy is being paid (estimated to be more than $390 million). It's estimated Michelle made about $46 million (about US$36 million) from the sale of her book Becoming. Michelle sold more than 2 million copies of her memoir just two weeks after its release back in 2018. As of last November, more than 14 million copies of the book were sold, The New York Times reported. That included more than eight million sold in the US and Canada. President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Philip pose for photographers prior to a dinner hosted by the queen at Buckingham Palace. (AP)  The former American president is estimated to be worth about $52 million. Forbes reported he earned about $26 million between 2005 and 2016, a large portion of this amount was for two book deals for Audacity of Hope and Dreams of My Father.