Ellen Degeneres Gets Emotional When Awarded Her Medal of Freedom -- and She Almost Missed the Ceremony!
It’s possibly the biggest day of her legendary career, and the poor TV host couldn’t get in!
But fret not -- Ellen Degeneres was (eventually) awarded her Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition for her lifetime of work as both an entertainer and LGBTQ activist.
The Medal of Freedom is the highest award any regular civilian can receive. It’s officially used to recognize outstanding contributions to culture, peace, and other national interests.
On November 22nd, President Obama handed out twenty-one of the medals to Tom Hanks, Michael Jordan, Robert De Niro, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill and Melina Gates, Lorne Michaels and more.
But it was Ellen who stole the show.
The Ellen Show host became visibly emotional upon receiving her medal. The White House aide that introduced her did so by referencing decades of activism and her huge contribution to American pop culture, and then started the waterworks with this Finding Nemo reference:
“Again and again, Ellen Degeneres has shown us that a single individual can make the world a more fun, more open, more loving place – so long as we just keep swimming.”
#Awww
But to be fair, the tears on Ellen’s face may have been relief -- she nearly missed the ceremony!
Before the event, Degeneres tweeted a photo of herself sitting on a bench outside the White House. She’d forgotten her ID and Secret Service, who must not watch daytime television, wouldn’t allow her in.
Later, she posted a photo with wife Portia de Rossi and her shiny new medal/ID badge.
No word yet on whether TSA accepts prestigious awards as identification.
