{"id":6048,"date":"2026-06-18T19:08:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T19:08:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/obamas-presidential-center-opening-ceremony-has-star-studded-turnout-with-tom-hanks-oprah-christina-aguilera-and-more\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T19:08:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T19:08:45","slug":"obamas-presidential-center-opening-ceremony-has-star-studded-turnout-with-tom-hanks-oprah-christina-aguilera-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/obamas-presidential-center-opening-ceremony-has-star-studded-turnout-with-tom-hanks-oprah-christina-aguilera-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Obama&#8217;s Presidential Center opening ceremony has star-studded turnout with Tom Hanks, Oprah, Christina Aguilera and more"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2026%2F06%2F131440296.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The stars aligned to celebrate the opening ceremony of former President Barack Obama\u2019s Presidential Center.<\/p>\n<p>Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Stevie Wonder, Tyler Perry, Bruce Springsteen and Oprah Winfrey were among the A-listers in attendance at the event\u00a0in Chicago on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>Aguilera, along with Springsteen, Wonder and John Legend, performed at the high-profile event, with former President Bill Clinton, his wife, Hilary Clinton and Valerie Jarrett watching from the audience.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Several celebrities came together to celebrate the opening ceremony of former President Barack Obama\u2019s Presidential Center in Chicago. (Seen above: Barack Obama, Michelle Obama and Bill Clinton). <span class=\"credit\">VICTOR HILITSKI\/EPA\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Christina Aguilera (seen above) was one of the performers. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Tom Hanks was in attendance. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Oprah Winfrey also made an appearance.  <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Pearl Jam singer and guitarist Eddie Vedder, rapper Common, Marc Anthony and\u00a0Jennifer Hudson also brought the crowd to their feet with special performances.<\/p>\n<p>Former Presidents Joe Biden and George W. Bush, along with former Vice President Kamala Harris appeared in good spirits while sitting with fellow attendees.<\/p>\n<p>Karlie Kloss, who is married to Joshua Kushner, beamed while standing alongside New York Times bestselling author Derek Blasberg.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>John Legend performed. <span class=\"credit\">REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Common also entertained the audience. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Tyler Perry was among the selected guests. <span class=\"credit\">REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Derek Blasberg and Karlie Kloss were all smiles. <span class=\"credit\">REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Additionally, Michelle and Barack\u2019s daughters, Sasha and Malia, also joined the festivities and <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/06\/18\/celebrity-news\/malia-sasha-obama-attend-obama-presidential-center-opening\/\">appeared at the main stage with their famous parents.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The family of four watched the ceremony from behind bulletproof glass.<\/p>\n<p>Despite several former presidents attending the ceremony, President Donald Trump was notably not present.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><figcaption>Eddie Vedder put on a show-stopping performance. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Jennifer Hudson also attended and sang. <span class=\"credit\">VICTOR HILITSKI\/EPA\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Former President Bill Clinton was seen with his wife, Hilary Clinton. <span class=\"credit\">AP Photo\/Alex Brandon<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Michelle Obama posed with former President George W. Bush. <span class=\"credit\">Pablo Martinez Monsivais\/UPI\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Attendance was limited at the invite-only event. However, thousands gathered at the nearby Midway Plaisance city park for a watch party. <\/p>\n<p>The Obama Center is a 19-acre campus located in the historic Jackson Park on the state\u2019s south side.<\/p>\n<p>The expansive campus features a museum of democracy, a library, a Women\u2019s Garden to honor female leaders in the state, a mini lake with a path known as the Wetland Walk, and an NBA regulation-size court.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Malia Obama and Sasha Obama (seen above with their parents) supported their father at the star-studded event. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Valerie Jarrett spoke at the dedication ceremony. <span class=\"credit\">REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Joe Biden and Jill Biden sat with former presidents. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Additional immersive experiences at the site include the Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit and Vegetable Garden, where guests can learn how to grow their own food, a playground, and a massive 58,000 square foot lawn for picnics and lounging.<\/p>\n<p>There is also a performing arts building known as The Forum, where performances will be hosted at the Elie Wiesel Auditorium, and the creative community can gather at the\u00a0Hadiya Pendleton Atrium.<\/p>\n<p>The highly anticipated $850 million campus will open on Friday, Juneteenth, after being in the works for more than a decade.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/06\/18\/celebrity-news\/obamas-presidential-center-opening-ceremony-has-star-studded-turnout-with-tom-hanks-oprah-christina-aguilera-and-more\/\" target=\"_blank\">Source link<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The stars aligned to celebrate the opening ceremony of former President Barack Obama\u2019s Presidential Center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/131440296.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6048"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6048\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}