Michael Jordan, Robert De Niro, Bill Gates, & More Strike a Pose in Mannequin Challenge at the White House

The Medal of Freedom honorees joined in on the viral trend at the White House on Tuesday.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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President Obama honored some of the most elite celebrities in sports, entertainment, and business at the Medal of Freedom ceremony at the White House on Tuesday. And not only did the honorees get recognized for their contributions to their respective fields, but they also got to join in the Mannequin Challenge

Black-ish actress Tracee Ellis Ross was in attendance at the ceremony and caught the whole challenge on Instagram. Unfortunately, the video didn't use Rae Sremmurd's song "Black Beatles," but it was still pretty epic. As the camera panned around the room, it briefly focused on  Robert DeNiro, Tom Hanks, Ellen DeGeneres, Kareen Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Gates, Diana Ross, and the legend himself, Michael Jordan. "Look what I got everyone to do!" Tracee captioned the video. 

But fun and games aside, what the participants really came for was the Medal of Freedom, which is the highest honor a civilian can receive. Bruce Springsteen, Cicely Tyson, and Robert Redford were also among the 21 lucky honorees at the event. Before presenting the award to Michael Jordan, President Obama mentioned that the former basketball player was way more than just the viral "Crying Jordan" meme for his contributions to the sport and to style. 

In recent months, the Mannequin Challenge has been taking over the worlds of showbiz, sports, and even politics. Earlier in the month, Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers jumped in on the viral trend with First Lady Michelle Obama during the team's visit to the White House. 

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