
CBS via Getty Images
Former President Barack Obama is throwing a huge birthday party for himself at his opulent $12 million waterfront mansion on Martha's Vineyard on Saturday. The birthday bash was originally supposed to include nearly 500 guests and more than 200 staff, but the celebration was "significantly scaled back" to include "only family and close friends" due to criticism over holding a social gathering of that size during a surge in COVID-19 infections.
However, photos emerged of massive tents constructed specifically for the birthday party on Obama's 29-acre estate. There were also images of celebrities arriving at Martha's Vineyard to attend the festivities. The internet was quick to point out that the preparations for the party looked anything other than "scaled back."
Several celebrities were reportedly invited and then uninvited, including late-night talk show hosts David Letterman and Conan O'Brien, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" actor Larry David, and David Axelrod, chief strategist for Obama's presidential campaigns, according to the New York Times.
The celebrities who did make the cut include Beyonce, Jay-Z, Eddie Vedder, Tom Hanks, and musician Questlove, who reportedly coordinated a meat-free menu for the party. "Oprah Winfrey and Ava DuVernay had pulled out of the party earlier because of concerns over the Delta variant," the Times reported. Steven Spielberg, Bruce Springsteen, and George Clooney were reportedly on the original guest list, according to the New York Post. There were no reports of Obama's "bro" and former vice president Joe Biden attending the birthday party.
The New York Times added that the attendees of the party would be a "mostly vaccinated crowd," but "all of whom had to submit negative tests to gain entry to the property."
The party had been planned for months, and "the former president had baseball caps made for the occasion that read '44 at 60.'"
The Daily Mail released photos of massive tents on the Obamas' grandiose grounds. The outlet also published photos of celebrities arriving at the wealthy Massachusetts enclave for Obama's 60th birthday party, including Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Dwayne Wade, Gabriel Union, Don Cheadle, and Stephen Colbert. Biden's climate czar, John Kerry, was seen in photos taking a private jet to Martha's Vineyard.
EXCLUSIVE: Obama's 60th birthday bash looks anything but intimate as huge tents are erected on his $12M Martha's Vineyard estate https://trib.al/me7Z86w\u00a0pic.twitter.com/sqnLvtqRGq— Daily Mail US (@Daily Mail US) 1628297308
JUST IN - Massive tents are erected ahead of Obama's 60th "scaled back" birthday bash on Martha's Vineyard.\n\nhttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9869959/John-Legend-Chrissy-Teigen-Dwyane-Wade-arrive-Marthas-Vineyard-Obamas-birthday-bash.html\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/JmSfsDPOee— Disclose.tv \ud83d\udea8 (@Disclose.tv \ud83d\udea8) 1628339097
\u201cScaled Back\u201dhttps://twitter.com/scuba2024/status/1423791803170426880\u00a0\u2026— Jack Posobiec \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Jack Posobiec \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1628298626
The internet reactions to Obama's swanky and seemingly over-the-top birthday party complete with circus-like tents were delivered fast and furious.
This is the tent for Obama\u2019s \u201cscaled back\u201d birthday party where only close friends & family were said to attend. Instead, multiple celebrities & politicians were seen\n\nWhy is it that the same people telling you to stay home & social distance don\u2019t think those rules apply to them?pic.twitter.com/MVIBbx29HI— Charlie Kirk (@Charlie Kirk) 1628349304