THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest non-military honor in the United States The award recognizes people for their contributions to culture the nation and the world DeGeneres shared the 2016 stage with several notable Medal of Freedom recipients They included actors Tom Hanks and Robert DeNiro musician Bruce Springsteen athletes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan and philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates DeGeneres was one of 21 Americans honored with the Medal of Freedom in November 2016 The comedian has spent a lifetime making people laugh She has worked to create an equal and more loving world for humans and animals She has received many honors and awards for her work in television movies and stand-up comedy DeGeneres was introduced to young audiences as the voice of Dory in the animated movies Finding Nemo and Finding Dory Dory a fish reminded audiences of the power of kindness and of never giving up 6
The role of Dory a forgetful but lovable fish was written with DeGeneres in mind DeGeneres earned the Medal of Freedom for her influence on society The host of the awards ceremony summed it up well He said DeGeneres taught us that each of us can make the world a more fun open and loving place All we have to do is just keep swimming 7
WORKING FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY The Medal of Freedom ceremony was not the first time President Obama thanked DeGeneres The president appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in February 2016 He complimented DeGeneres for speaking out on the issue of same-sex marriage Obama spoke about DeGeneres’s decision to talk openly about being a lesbian He noted how that decision had helped pave the way for same-sex marriage rights He said that her being willing to be herself gave others power A FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE DeGeneres has had a successful and groundbreaking career She was among the first celebrities to publicly acknowledge that she is a lesbian This was before being gay became more widely accepted Her relationships with women captured tabloid headlines just as her acting comedy and writing captured laughs DeGeneres uses her dancing to make people smile Many visitors to The Ellen DeGeneres Show share a dance with Ellen including First Lady Michelle Obama 8
