Ellen DeGeneres Almost Couldn't Get Inside the White House to Get Her Medal of Freedom From Barack Obama—Find Out Why!

Celebs, they're just like us

By Bruna Nessif Nov 23, 2016 12:31 AMTags

You may recognize Ellen DeGeneres a mile away, but that doesn't mean she can skate through White House security.

The daytime talk show host and A-lister was among the notable names who were honored with the Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama today, his last before leaving office. However, the comedian hit some very not-funny obstacles during her trip to the ceremony in Washington D.C.—she couldn't get into the White House!

It turns out DeGeneres forgot her I.D. and security wasn't letting it slide.

She took to Twitter to share what was going on:

Luckily, DeGeneres made it inside the White House (albeit a little late), and definitely made the most of her visit. Upon updating fans on Twitter that she managed to get inside, Ellen also shared that she participated in a mannequin challenge with others who were at the presidential ceremony.

After taking on the pop culture phenomenon, an emotional Ellen stood alongside Obama as he spoke fondly of the star, and even began to get choked up as he recalled her journey in Hollywood.

"It's easy to forget now, when we've come so far, where now marriage is equal under the law, just how much courage was required for Ellen to come out on the most public of stages almost 20 years ago. Just how important it was. Not just to the LGBT community, but for all of us. To see somebody so full of kindness and light, somebody we liked so much, somebody who could be our neighbor or our colleague or our sister challenge our own assumptions," POTUS said.

"Remind us that we have more in common than we realize. Push our country in the direction of justice. What an incredible burden that was to bear. To risk your career like that, people don't do that very often. And then to have the hopes of millions on your shoulders.

"But it's like Ellen says, ‘We all want a tortilla chip, that can support the weight of guacamole.' Which really makes no sense to me, but I thought would break the mood because I was getting choked up," he laughed.

"And she did pay a price. We don't remember this. I hadn't remembered it. She did, for a pretty long stretch of time, even in Hollywood. And yet today, every day, in every way, Ellen counters what too often divides us, with the countless things that bind us together, inspires us to be better, one joke, one dance at a time."

After receiving the medal, Ellen took to Twitter once again and did what she does best—crack a joke.

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen, architect Frank Gehry, baseball broadcaster Vin Scully, actors Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro and Robert Redford and Saturday Night Live creator and producer Lorne Michaels were also awarded the medal at the White House ceremony.