--- title: Watch President Obama Award 21 Medals of Freedom description: Watch President Barack Obama award Medals of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, to 21 recipients at the White House. canonical: https://time.com/4580275/barack-obama-medals-of-freedom/ author: Kate Samuelson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-11-22T18:16:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T10:27:18.213Z article:section: Politics og:title: Watch President Obama Award 21 Medals of Freedom og:description: Recipients include Tom Hanks, Ellen DeGeneres and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar og:url: https://time.com/4580275/barack-obama-medals-of-freedom/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch President Obama Award 21 Medals of Freedom twitter:description: Recipients include Tom Hanks, Ellen DeGeneres and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # President Barack Obama Awards 21 Medals of Freedom at the White House: Watch Live by [Kate Samuelson](https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Nov 22, 2016 6:16 PM UTC by [Kate Samuelson](https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Nov 22, 2016 6:16 PM UTC Watch President Barack Obama award [Medals of Freedom](http://time.com/4566553/obama-gay-marriage-medals-of-freedom/), the nation’s highest civilian honor, to 21 recipients at the White House. Medals of Freedom are awarded to individuals who have contributed to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace and cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. Individuals who are receiving a Medal of Freedom in Tuesday’s ceremony, attended by First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, include basketball player [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](http://time.com/4475614/kareem-abdul-jabbar-political-incorrectness/), comedian and talk-show host [Ellen DeGeneres](http://time.com/4564737/ellen-degeneres-on-trump-victory/), actors Robert De Niro and Tom Hanks, mathematician and computer scientist Margaret H. Hamilton and philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates. “The Presidential Medal of Freedom is not just our nation’s highest civilian honor – it’s a tribute to the idea that all of us, no matter where we come from, have the opportunity to change this country for the better,” President Obama said [in a statement](https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/11/16/president-obama-names-recipients-presidential-medal-freedom). “From scientists, philanthropists, and public servants to activists, athletes, and artists, these 21 individuals have helped push America forward, inspiring millions of people around the world along the way.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4580275/barack-obama-medals-of-freedom/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4580275/barack-obama-medals-of-freedom/"},"headline":"President Barack Obama Awards 21 Medals of Freedom at the White House: Watch Live","datePublished":"2016-11-22T18:16:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T10:27:18.213Z","description":"Recipients include Tom Hanks, Ellen DeGeneres and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar","url":"https://time.com/4580275/barack-obama-medals-of-freedom/","keywords":["White House","Barack Obama","President Obama"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kate Samuelson","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/white-house/","name":"White House"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4580275/barack-obama-medals-of-freedom/","name":"President Barack Obama Awards 21 Medals of Freedom at the White House: Watch Live"}}]}] ```