The winners of the Presidential Medal of Freedom did the Mannequin Challenge in the White House - and all of them blinked
The INSIDER Summary:
A bunch of celebrities did the Mannequin Challenge at the White House today.
Though a solid attempt, many of them blinked.
It was still pretty cute - watch the video below.
Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom today, given to American icons like Bill and Melinda Gates, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tom Hanks, Bruce Springsteen, and Ellen DeGeneres.
It was a time to celebrate internet memes, too. Even if, as Obama noted in the case of Michael Jordan, America's best heroes are "more than just an internet meme."
But after the award ceremony, the 21 awardees posed for the Mannequin Challenge. Everyone who was present froze in place, pretending to mingle, as someone roamed around the room with a camera.
"Blackish" star Tracee Ellis Ross - who was there to accompany her mother Diana Ross, who received an award - posted a video on Instagram.
For the Mannequin Challenge, you're supposed to stand totally still, staging an elaborate scene as a camera roams around. But if you watch, you'll see a lot of honorees blinked.
Robert De Niro blinking is understandable because he can't be bothered, but DeGeneres? She's usually better at memes. And I don't even know what Frank Gehry is doing there at the end.
While Kareem and Jordan may be bigger basketball legends, I have to say, LeBron James's Mannequin Challenge in the White House with Michelle Obama was better.