Barack Obama ‘Scaled-Down’ Birthday Party Seems to Be Flocked With A-List Celebrities, Politicians, Athletes
Former President Barack Obama's guests started to arrive in the venue of his "scaled-down" birthday party at a Massachusetts island as early as Friday afternoon.
According to The Daily Mail, Barack Obama's guests composed of A-list celebrities, athletes, musicians, and politicians started to arrive at Martha's Vineyard ahead of the Saturday celebration.
On Friday, the island's airport was already bombarded with private jets and helicopters flying in ahead of Barack Obama's 60th birthday party.
A-List Celebrities, Politicians, Athletes Arrive in Barack Obama's Birthday Party Venue
Some of the notable personalities who reportedly arrived at the venue on Friday were Don Cheadle, George Clooney, Oprah Winfrey, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, and ex-NBA star Dwayne Wade with his wife, Gabriel Union.
U.S. special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry was also seen to arrive in Martha's Vineyard with comedian and TV presenter Stephen Colbert. Both of them reportedly owns a residence on the island.
A local businessman told Daily Mail that Barack Obama has an expanded definition of "close friends," which includes his golfing buddies, aside from the politicians and celebrities.
The arrival of Obama's guests happened after Barack Obama made a last decision to scale down the list of guests for his 60th birthday party.
Barack Obama reportedly scaled back from a 500-person birthday bash to a small affair for family and close friends amid concerns over the highly contagious Delta COVID variant.
The Insider reported that comedian Larry David and talk show hosts David Letterman and Conan O'Brien did not make it to the final cut on the truncated guest list.
"Obama has decided to significantly scale back the event to include family and close friends," Obama's spokesperson, Hannah Hankins, said in a statement.
Apart from those who are not invited, some decided not to go because of concerns over the delta variant like Ava DuVernay. President Joe Biden will also not attend the 60th birthday of the former president.
Massive Tents Erected in Barack Obama's Birthday Venue
Aside from the roster of celebrities, musicians, athletes, and politicians arriving in the venue, massive tents were erected on the ground of Martha's Vineyard.
A dancefloor was reported to be laid next to the main house, which leads to the vast marquee. Long dining tables for the guests were also visible, along with the dining chairs. A large raised stage was also placed at the end of the marquee.
"This outdoor event was planned months ago in accordance with all public health guidelines and with COVID safeguards in place," Hankins noted.
Barack Obama was placed under fire when the initial 500 guests birthday party was made public. But White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended Obama's decision to hold the party, saying the former president has been a huge advocate of individuals getting vaccinated and that the party is entirely outside.
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Written By: Joshua Summers
WATCH: Barack Obama 'Significantly Scales Back' Vineyard 60th Birthday Bash - From WCVB Channel 5 Boston