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President Barack Obama paid tribute to comedian Ellen DeGeneres as he awarded her the nation's highest civilian honour saying she risked her career when she came out as gay almost two decades ago.
He honoured 21 people with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the White House, including actors Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro , Robert Redford and Cicely Tyson, and musicians Bruce Springsteen and Diana Ross.
Philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates and basketball players Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were also among those honoured.
Show all 25 1 /252015 in pictures from the White House 2015 in pictures from the White House Dec. 4, 2015 “The President acquiesced to a selfie with 11-year-old Jacob Haynes and four-year-old James Haynes after taking a family photograph with departing White House staffer Heather Foster.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House Dec. 22, 2015 “When some of my friends heard that the President had hiked the grueling Koko Head Crater Trail, they sent me messages on whether I had made it to the top. The trail is 1,048 wooden steps, which climb more than 1,200 feet up the crater’s ridge. Some call it the ‘Stairmaster from Hell.’ I’ll admit that I was huffing and puffing up the trail, but to my friends, this photograph is proof that I indeed made it to the top with my boss.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House Nov. 25, 2015 “The President and his daughters Sasha and Malia participate in the annual National Thanksgiving Turkey pardon ceremony in the Rose Garden with National Turkey Federation Chairman Jihad Douglas.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House Nov. 24, 2015 “With the U.S. Marine Band playing the score from the movie, ‘E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,’ the President feigns riding a bicycle in the sky as happened in the 1982 movie directed by Steven Spielberg, who had just been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House Nov. 21, 2015 “The President talks with a young refugee at a Dignity for Children Foundation classroom in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She was working on a painting.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House Oct. 30, 2015 “The President and First Lady react to a child in a pope costume and mini popemobile as they welcomed children during a Halloween event on the South Lawn of the White House.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House Oct. 23, 2015 “Afternoon autumn light bathes the President as he works at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House Sept. 25, 2015 “Two days after the visit of Pope Francis, the President and First Lady hosted President Xi Jinping of China and Madame Peng Liyuan for another State Visit. Before the formal State Dinner, the President showed President Xi and Madame Peng the Gettysburg Address in the Lincoln Bedroom.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House Sept. 23, 2015 “Though there were many poignant moments of the President and Pope Francis to choose from, but this frame, as they walked along the Colonnade, was one of my favorites because of the light and the way the President was interacting with His Holiness.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House Sept. 18, 2015 “This has to be the suit of the year. Matthew Lesko met the President before having a family photo taken with his son, Max Lesko, who was departing the White House after working in the Counsel Office.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House July 17, 2015 “While visiting the Whitney Museum in New York City, the President hugged his daughter Malia as they looked at the art work.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House July 17, 2015 “The President greets nine-month-old Josephine Gronniger, whose father, Tim Gronniger, brought his family by the Oval Office for a family photo.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House June 9, 2015 “After a group photograph with Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Space Shuttle Columbia alumni, the President helped some of the participants move a sofa back in place in the Oval Office.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House June 8, 2015 “We were at the G7 Summit in Krün, Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel asked the leaders and outreach guests to make their way to a bench for a group photograph. The President happened to sit down first, followed closely by the Chancellor. I only had time to make a couple of frames before the background was cluttered with other people.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House June 4, 2015 “At the President’s insistence, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes brought his daughter Ella by for a visit. As she was crawling around the Oval Office, the President got down on his hands and knees to look her in the eye.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House May 18, 2015 “’Show us the Jeremy dance,’ the President said to departing Social Secretary Jeremy Bernard, during a farewell ceremony for Jeremy in the State Dining Room of the White House.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House May 14, 2015 “The President had hosted a summit meeting at Camp David with the Gulf Cooperation Council. At the conclusion of the summit, each of the leaders was introduced before a final group photo in front of Laurel Cabin. Rather than shoot a tight shot of each leader, I used a wide angle lens to show more of the atmosphere of Camp David. Here, the President greets Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers’ Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House May 12, 2015 “The First Lady demonstrates her boxing skills during a #GimmeFive video taping.”
(Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)
2015 in pictures from the White House April 17, 2015 “Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes needed some assistance with his wardrobe so the President joined Brian Mosteller, Director of Oval Office Operations, and Personal Aide Ferial Govashiri in helping to spruce him up.”
(Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)
2015 in pictures from the White House April 11, 2015 “The culmination of years of talks resulted in this handshake between the President and Cuban President Raúl Castro during the Summit of the Americas in Panama City, Panama.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House March 31, 2015 “Throughout the first half of the year, the President met often with our team during the P5+1 negotiations with Iran. Several times he conducted secure video conferences from the Situation Room while the negotiators were on the ground in Switzerland.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House March 27, 2015 “The First Lady snuggled against the President during a video taping for the 2015 World Expo in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House.”
(Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)
2015 in pictures from the White House March 7, 2015 “I was moving around trying to capture different scenes away from the stage during the event to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches. When I glanced back towards the stage, I noticed the President and First Lady holding hands as they listened to the remarks of Rep. John Lewis. I managed to squeeze off a couple of frames before they began to applaud, and the moment was gone.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House Feb. 27, 2015 “It’s definitely true that former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal is a big guy. But I’ll admit that I used a wide angle lens and this angle to accentuate his size when he stopped by the Oval Office for a quick visit.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
2015 in pictures from the White House Feb. 23, 2015 “The President’s daughter Malia stopped by the Oval Office one afternoon to see her dad and, while they were talking, she wiped something from his face.”
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
The president said of DeGeneres that said she has a way of making people laugh at something rather than someone “except when I danced on her show”.
He said it is also easy to forget that she had risked her career nearly 20 years ago when she came out as gay.
“What an incredible burden that was to bear, to risk her career like that. People don't do that very often, and then to have the hopes of millions on your shoulders,” Mr Obama said.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom recognises especially meritorious contributions to the national interests of the US, its security and its culture.
Mr Obama called the 2016 group a “particularly impressive class” and said they had inspired him over the years and “helped make me who I am”.
“Everybody on this stage has touched me in a very powerful, personal way, in ways that they probably couldn't imagine,” Mr Obama said in concluding an hour-long ceremony in the White House East Room.
Of “The Boss,” he said Springsteen crafted “anthems of our America, the reality of who we are and the reverie of who we want to be”.
Others receiving the award included Frank Gehry, one of the world's leading architects, Maya Lin, the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Lorne Michaels, producer of the TV comedy show Saturday Night Live.
The diverse group seemed to enjoy themselves at the White House, participating in a mannequin challenge before the ceremony, trying not to move as they were recorded on video.
Associated Press.
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