Obama himself shouted out DeGeneres' courage coming out as a gay woman during her remarks. He praised her ability to make people laugh with rather than at people, "except when I danced on her show."

"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," Obama said.

But DeGeneres faced a significant roadblock to attendance when she forgot her ID. So they wouldn't let her into the White House. Seriously.