The state of Illinois recently celebrated its very first Obama Day holiday, and as the day wound down, a list of Hollywood notables jumped to Twitter to celebrate the former president’s birthday.
Illinois’ Obama Day holiday is not a full-fledged holiday, of course. When the day was adopted, lawmakers made sure that no state workers would get the day off nor are they paid for the day, for instance. Further, the holiday was scheduled during the summer, and on Barack Obama’s birthday, so schools do not have to recognize it.
In effect, the day is not on the regular holiday list and was implemented more as a political sop than a real celebration. But that did not prevent Hollywood from celebrating the day and conversely lamenting the “reign of error” under President Donald Trump, Deadline Hollywood exclaimed.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, for one, jumped to Twitter to celebrate his former boss’s birthday.
A long list of Hollywood stars also raced to social media to celebrate the day. Selma director Ava DuVernay tweeted out how thrilled she was to have met Barack Obama:
Singers John Legend, Janelle Monae, and Common also tweeted a note to the former president:
Actresses Tracee Ellis Ross and Yara Shahidi, from ABC’s Blackish, also got in on the act:
Many others also praised the former president on his birthday.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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