Guests forced to delete photos and videos of maskless Obama at boozy birthday party



Despite COVID-19 cases soaring in recent weeks, due much in part to the highly contagious delta variant that has the U.S. averaging over 100,000 new cases per day, former President Barack Obama went forward with his celebrity-laden birthday party in Massachusetts on Saturday. A few photos and videos were leaked out to the public from the swanky soirée, which show a maskless Obama dancing with his guests, who also did not wear face coverings.

Obama's birthday bash was held in massive tents on his spacious estate in Martha's Vineyard in Dukes County, which was designated as a "high transmission" area for COVID-19 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. High transmission communities fall under the CDC's updated guidance recommending that masks be worn indoors, even by people who are fully vaccinated.

Barack and Michelle Obama from his 60th party https://t.co/amGMRgsInO

— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) 1628430831.0

Singer Erykah Badu was performing at the former president's 60th birthday party, but managed to record a video of maskless Obama dancing with a woman and other attendees who were not wearing face coverings. Badu uploaded the video to Instagram, but then quickly deleted it. But she didn't manage to delete it quick enough and the footage was shared online.

Video of Obama’s maskless Martha’s Vineyard birthday party before Erykah Badu deleted it https://t.co/ge0k23XioV

— Jewish Deplorable (@TrumpJew2) 1628432153.0

Rapper Trap Beckham and manager TJ Chapman were also at Obama's birthday party, and shared photos of the event before deleting the images that were saved by the New York Post.

Chapman estimated that Obama spent at least $1 million on the event, which he called "the party of all parties."

The Daily Mail reported that guests were treated to "a specially constructed espresso martini bar, salt station and s'mores station."

Attendees were also provided custom-designed face masks and cocktail napkins emblazoned with "44x60," a logo for the 44th president on his 60th birthday.

However, Beckham revealed that he was forced to delete all of the images of the Obama shindig.

"Had to delete everything due to the rules," Beckham said after the party. "It was epic for sure. If any videos surface, it's going viral. He danced the whole time. Nobody ever seen Obama like this before."

In a video posted to social media, Chapman was upset he had to delete his videos.

"Epic night last night," Chapman said in a video. "I posted some stories of myself. Didn't think anybody gave a damn, and I guess they did. That's not cool. That's not cool."

DJ posts stealth pics of Obama's 'epic' birthday party — before being forced to delete them https://t.co/9fGUVeXaM0 https://t.co/aRO5KOzi9K

— New York Post (@nypost) 1628408783.0

Celebrity guests included Beyoncé, Jay-Z, George Clooney, Steven Spielberg, Bradley Cooper, Don Cheadle, Bruce Springsteen, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Gabrielle Union, Dwayne Wade, Questlove, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Gayle King, Steven Colbert, and Tom Hanks.

John Legend allegedly sang "Happy Birthday" to Obama.

The party allegedly wrapped up around midnight, and the celebrities leaving caused a traffic "s***show," according to a local police officer.

The phrase "maskless Obama" trended on Twitter when the photos and videos of the former president not wearing a face covering hit the internet on Sunday.

Obama faced criticism over the party for claiming to "scale back" the festivities and include "only family and close friends," only to have celebrities fly into Massachusetts from all over the country.

Internet reactions to photos of Obama's supposed 'scaled back' birthday bash boasting massive tents for celebrities: 'Do you feel like a peasant yet?'



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 Vi… https://t.co/JfLmqD7Wzh

— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) 1628297308.0


JUST IN - Massive tents are erected ahead of Obama's 60th "scaled back" birthday bash on Martha's Vineyard.… https://t.co/DqlIoG3qBQ

— Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) 1628339097.0


“Scaled Back” https://t.co/wvSLvGM1We

— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) 1628298626.0

The internet reactions to Obama's swanky and seemingly over-the-top birthday party complete with circus-like tents were delivered fast and furious.

  • "Do what we say, not what we do."
  • "The hypocrisy is the point."
  • "These are the people calling you selfish if you don't want to close your small business."
  • "Do you feel like a peasant yet?"
  • "All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others."
  • "The virus so deadly the elites risk their lives for a birthday party!"
  • "Look, news outlets raised cane when @POTUS45 held events at his compound in Florida during the pandemic. Now. @BarackObama celebrating his 60th with a tent larger than a lot of homes. It's just the news cycle. Stay healthy."

This is the tent for Obama’s “scaled back” birthday party where only close friends & family were said to attend. In… https://t.co/hUlhc3ePdB

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) 1628349304.0

After heavy criticism, Obama forced to downsize massive birthday bash amid Delta variant spread



Following significant backlash, former President Barack Obama has decided at the last minute to curtail plans for a massive 60th birthday celebration.

The party, scheduled to take place Saturday at the Obamas' oceanside mansion in Martha's Vineyard, was to include nearly 500 guests and more than 200 staff. But after news broke of the bash over the weekend, critics lambasted the former president for hosting a massive party amid a surge in coronavirus infections.

Now, citing the spread of the Delta variant, the Obamas have decided to scale down the party to include just family and close friends.

According to the New York Times, "the party plans had been months in the making and many invitees had already arrived on Martha's Vineyard" when Obama belatedly announced news of its cancellation.

"Due to the new spread of the Delta variant over the past week, the president and Mrs. Obama have decided to significantly scale back the event to include only family and close friends," the former president's spokesperson, Hannah Hankins, said in a statement. "President Obama is appreciative of others sending their birthday wishes from afar and looks forward to seeing people soon."

Hundreds of former Obama administration officials and Hollywood bigwigs were slated to attend the party before its downsizing. The New York Post reported that George Clooney, Steven Spielberg, and Oprah Winfrey were expected to attend.

Party planners reportedly followed public health guidelines in advance of the celebration. The bash was to be held outside at the property and the Obamas had asked guests to be vaccinated. There was even slated to be a "COVID coordinator" on the premises to ensure protocols were followed.

But as the Delta variant has surged in recent weeks, public health experts responded by reversing masking guidance for vaccinated individuals and warning against large gatherings. All of a sudden, the public image of a massive party filled with celebrities, Democratic donors, and left-wing politicos didn't look so good.

"They've been concerned about the virus from the beginning, asking invited guests if they had been vaccinated, requesting that they get a test proximate to the event," David Axelrod, a former top Obama adviser, said, according to the Times. "But when this was planned, the situation was quite different. So they responded to the changing circumstances."

The Obamas and their allies have maintained that the party plans were altered over health concerns. Though it should be noted that plans didn't officially change until after the public backlash.