During his eight years in office, former President Barack Obama awarded 123 Presidential Medals of Freedom. The 44th president of the United States acknowledged during a recent visit on A Late Show With Stephen Colbert that there is one deserving recipient who slipped his recollection even though it is the most awards given since the award was created in 1963. Obama claimed that his failure to present Dolly Parton with the nation’s highest civilian award was a key “screwup” of his administration when making an appearance on the program on Monday to promote the first volume of his presidency memoirs, A Promised Land.
The 59-year-old admitted the error while taking part in Colbert’s recurrent segment, when the host quizzes his guests on topics he doesn’t believe they’ve ever been asked before. “Have you missed me? Did you ever look at something going on in the news and go, ‘You know what this situation needs? A tiny bit of Barack Obama “At one point, Colbert questioned him, eliciting the former president’s famous laugh. Obama declared, “I found the work intriguing.” However, I don’t miss needing to put on a tie every day.
When Colbert finally addressed the issue, he said, “How can Dolly Parton not get a Presidential Medal of Freedom?” Obama seems a little surprised by the inquiry before acknowledging: “That was erroneous. I’m astounded.” By humorously asking, “Looking back on the eight years, do you know that’s the error you made,” the presenter managed to push him just a little bit further. The father of two politely accepted responsibility for the error and vowed to make amends when Joe Biden, his former vice president, assumes the presidency in January. “In actuality, that was a mistake. I’m taken aback. I believe I incorrectly assumed that she already had one “said he.
“She is due one. I will reach Biden “Obama continued. Numerous notable icons and musicians received the Medal of Freedom during Obama’s eight years in office, including Barbra Streisand, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, and Gloria Estefan. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is given to people who have made a “especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors,” as stated in the award’s original 1963 declaration by President John F. Kennedy.
Along with the Congressional Gold Medal, it ranks among the highest honors bestowed to American civilians. Over the course of her decades-long career, Parton has received innumerable accolades, but the Medal of Freedom has shockingly escaped the 74-year-old. The “Jolene” singer has devoted money, time, and support to making the world a better place for everyone throughout her career. She said, “I try to contribute in whatever way that I can because I know that I’m in a position to help.
Parton’s legacy is much greater than the incredible contributions she’s made to the music industry, from founding the Dollywood Foundation in 1988 “to inspire the children in her home county to achieve educational success” to founding the Imagination Library in 1995 in memory of her father to “foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families by providing them with the gift of a specially selected book each month.”
Most recently, it was announced that the adored star contributed $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in April to support the pioneering Moderna COVID-19 vaccine research. During a guest appearance on NBC’s Today Show, she added, “What better moment right now, we need this.” I believed that this was the right time for me to extend both my heart and my helping hand.
