Former President Barack Obama said his administration made an error in failing to honor music icon Dolly Parton with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, telling Late Show host Stephen Colbert that he will call Joe Biden to make it happen in his administration.
Sitting down with Colbert to promote his new memoir, Obama was asked how it was possible that the iconic country singer had not been honored with America’s highest civil award.
“That’s a mistake,” said Obama. “I’m shocked.”
“Looking back at your eight years, do you realize that’s the mistake you made?” Colbert asked.
“Actually, that was a screwup,” Obama responded. “I’m surprised. I think I assumed that she had already gotten one, and that was incorrect. She deserves one. I’ll call Biden.”
Watch below:
Over the course of his presidency, Obama bestowed the Medal of Freedom on dozens of musicians including Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Gloria Estefan and Barbra Streisand. Biden, then serving as vice-president, was also honored with the award.
Parton, meanwhile, has won countless awards over her career, althoguh the Medal of Freedom has not been one of them. Although not an overtly political figure, she was on stage alongside fellow actresses Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin back in 2017 when they labeled Donald Trump a “hypocritical bigot.”
In August, the 74-year-old also stirred controversy by appearing to come out in support of the far-left Black Lives Matter movement responsible for the whipping up of racial tensions over the past year.
“I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen,” she said in an interview with Billboard. “And of course Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!”
Follow Ben Kew on Parler, Facebook, or Twitter. You can email him at bkew@breitbart.com.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.