No pop culture rookie, but he's stumped by Snooki
WASHINGTON -- During his appearance on "The View," President Obama got a quiz on celebrities in the news -- Snooki, Lindsay Lohan and Mel Gibson.
During the show, which was taped in New York Wednesday but broadcast Thursday, the president also told the hosts he was not invited to Chelsea Clinton's wedding.
(Getty Images)
President Obama's appearance on "The View" marked the first time a sitting president had been on a daytime talk show. Some other presidential TV firsts:
1) Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the first president to appear on television (opening of New York World's Fair, April 30, 1939).
2) Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first president to appear on color TV. (West Point, June 6, 1955)
3) Gerald Ford was the first president on ''Saturday Night Live.'' He delivered a pre-taped message. (April 17, 1976)
4) Obama was the first sitting president to appear on a late-night talk show. ("Tonight Show with Jay Leno," March 20, 2009.)
Host Joy Behar tested Obama on popular culture with a few questions, starting with, "Do you know that Lindsay Lohan is in jail?"
"I actually know that, yes. I did,'' said Obama.
Then Behar wanted to know, "Does Mel Gibson need anger management?"
". . . I haven't seen a Mel Gibson movie in a while,'' Obama pleaded, though at issue were tapes of his angry conversations.
Referring to the ''Jersey Shore'' television personality, Behar asked, ''Should Snooki run as mayor of Wasilla?''
"I've got to admit, I don't know who Snooki is." But Obama made a joke about Snooki in his comedy routine delivered at the White House Correspondents Association dinner May 2.
Other highlights:
• Host Barbara Walters asked Obama -- with a black father and white mother -- why he calls himself black.
Said Obama, "You know, part of what I realized was that if the world saw me as African-American, then that wasn't something that I needed to run away from. That's something that I could go ahead and embrace. And the interesting thing about the African-American experience in this country is that we are sort of a mongrel people. I mean, we're all kind of mixed up."
• On Chelsea Clinton's wedding: Asked by Walters if he was invited, Obama said, "You know, I was not invited because I think Hillary and Bill properly want to keep this as a thing for Chelsea and her soon-to-be husband. And I'm going to have the exact -- I'm letting you guys know now, y'all probably will not be invited to Malia's wedding or Sasha's wedding.''