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- Former President Barack Obama is throwing a scaled-down birthday party on Martha’s Vineyard this weekend.
- Obama did not invite some guests, including celebrities like Larry David and Conan O’Brien, to narrow the guest list.
- Obama has come under pressure to downsize his party amid concerns over the hyper-contagious Delta variant.
Former President Barack Obama made the last-minute decision to drastically reduce his 60th birthday party at Martha’s Vineyard this weekend, and several VIP guests were dropped.
Comedian Larry David and talk show hosts David Letterman and Conan O’Brien were not invited amid concerns about the rapidly spreading delta variant of COVID-19, The New York Times reported on Friday. The majority of former Obama administration staff, including senior adviser David Axelrod, also received the ax, the Times reported.
“This outdoor event was planned months ago in accordance with all public health guidelines and COVID safeguards in place,” Obama spokeswoman Hannah Hankins said in a statement. “Due to the new spread of the Delta variant over the past week, the President and Mrs. Obama have decided to drastically reduce the event to include only family and close friends.”
But several other celebrities, including Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Spielberg and George Clooney, were on the reduced list.
Some other prominent guests made their own decision not to attend. President Joe Biden said he would not attend the party, but would find another way to celebrate the former president’s birthday. Oprah Winfrey and filmmaker Ava DuVernay have decided against going due to concerns over the Delta, the Times reported.
The party, to be held in the 29-acre, $ 12 million Obama mansion on the island, originally had a guest list of 475 people. It’s unclear how many guests will attend the event, which will take place outside and feature a vegan, meat-free menu put together by musician Questlove.
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