What a send-off! Ellen DeGeneres paid tribute to President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama on their final full day at the White House on Thursday, January 19. Watch the video above!
“This is the last day that Barack Obama will be our president. I want to thank him for changing my life,” the comedian, 58, said during her daytime talk show. “I am a legally married woman because of him and so is my wife [Portia de Rossi]. His courage and compassion created equality for everyone. He moved us forward and made more happen in the past eight years than I ever dreamed possible. I love him, I love Michelle.”
DeGeneres announced in 2010 that she and De Rossi, 43, were getting married after the ban on same-sex marriage in California was lifted. In June 2015, the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage for couples across all 50 states.
The Obamas made several appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show over the years. The president, 55, dropped by for the first time before he took office on October 29, 2007, and immediately kicked up his heels to dance with the host.
DeGeneres shared some of her favorite memories with the couple on Thursday. Some highlights included when she and FLOTUS had a push-ups competition and went shopping at CVS together, and when POTUS presented DeGeneres with the Presidential Medal of Freedom honor in November.
The Obamas will next attend Donald Trump’s inauguration in Washington, D.C., on Friday, before jetting off to Palm Springs.
