US President Barack Obama celebrates his last White House birthday with A-listers

President Barack Obama celebrated his 55<sup>th birthday on Friday, 5 August, in private with his A-list celebrity friends. The top secret event, which was organised by First Lady Michelle, banned the special guests from using their social media at the social gathering.

The hand-picked guest list was not released in advance and those invited did not confirm if they were attending. On the day, the identities of the celebrities began to trickle through.

Nick Jonas, who is currently on tour with Demi Lovato, went straight from his concert in St Louis, Missouri to the Obama's home, in order to celebrate the occasion. He tweeted: "Tonight was a night I will never forget. #BarackObama #happybirthday."

NBA icon Magic Johnson shared a nice picture of him and wife Cookie all dressed up as they headed to the White House party.

Cookie then tweeted the same picture, wishing Obama a happy birthday and warning him that she was wearing her dancing shoes.

Ellen DeGeneres also attended the birthday bash, as did author and former Sean Diddy Combs' personal assistant Fonzworth Bentley. George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, was also pictured entering the White House, as was NBA star Grant Hill.

According to Page Six, Beyonce, Jay-Z, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson and Sarah Jessica Parker all planned to make an appearance. Stevie Wonder and Usher are said to have performed at the president's birthday party.

On Thursday 4 August, which was Obama's official birthday, the first lady posted a photo of herself with the president on Instagram: "55 years young and that smile still gets me every single day. Happy birthday, Barack. I love you. -mo"

As well as celebrating his birthday, Barack also wrote an exclusive essay for Glamour magazine on feminism – and how the women in his life have helped shape his views around being a feminist. Admitting that it's hard watching his two daughters prepare to leave home, Obama revealed that there's one thing that makes him feel optimistic for Malia and Sasha.

"This is an extraordinary time to be a woman," he said. "The progress we've made in the past 100 years, 50 years, and, yes, even the past eight years has made life significantly better for my daughters than it was for my grandmothers.

"And I say that not just as President but also as a feminist."