Ellen DeGeneres Obama Speech: Talk Show Host Thanks President For 'Changing My Life' [VIDEO]
Ellen DeGeneres is feeling very appreciative of President Barack Obama on his last day in office.
DeGeneres spoke from the heart on Thursday's episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show about Obama's legacy and how he impacted her life directly.
"This is the last day that Barack Obama will be our president. I want to thank him for changing my life," DeGeneres said. "I am a legally married woman because of him and so is my wife, [Portia de Rossi]. His courage and compassion created equality for everyone. He moved us forward and made more happen in the past eight years than I ever dreamed possible. I love him, I love Michelle [Obama]."
DeGeneres has welcomed the Obamas on her talk show several times over the past eight years. The talk show host showed a montage of their various appearances after her message on Thursday, with highlights including DeGeneres dancing with the first lady.
President Obama awarded DeGeneres with the Presidential Medal of Freedom back in November.
"It's easy to forget now, when we've come so far -- where now marriage is equal under the law -- just how much courage was required for Ellen to come out on the most public of stages almost 20 years ago," President Obama at the ceremony. "Just how important it was. Not just to the LGBT community, but for all of us."
Marriage equality was passed in 2015 by the Supreme Court, marking a huge point in the continuous fight for LGBT equal rights.
DeGeneres was visibly moved by the president's words. "Ellen DeGeneres has showed us that a single individual can make the world a more fun, more open, more loving place, so long as we just keep swimming," he concluded.
President Obama will be handing over his presidency to President-elect Donald Trump at Friday's inauguration in Washington, D.C.
