Amanda Gorman is spilling on some special moments from her time at President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
The poet, 22, who became the youngest person to speak at the iconic event, joined Ellen DeGeneres on Tuesday’s episode of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and spilled on some behind-the-scenes details of the big day.
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DeGeneres started off by congratulating Gorman on the honour and asked her what she was smiling about when she first got up to the podium.
“There was this beautiful moment, where I step up to the podium, and it’s in this incredible location, where I can see the Washington Monument. I can also see the Lincoln Memorial all in my line of vision and just feeling part of that history as the descendant of a slave,” Gorman described. “And I also smiled because when I got up to the podium I heard people below, which you can’t really see, clapping for me. And it was just this really surprising moment that, wow, people are really excited to hear what have to say… to hear poetry. What an opportunity for our country and the world. So I kind of giggled to myself and then got going.”
Later on in the interview, while gushing about the inauguration’s impressive guest list, Gorman shared a sweet anecdote about Barack and Michelle Obama.
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“I remember Michelle Obama sitting close and she kept yelling at Barack, like, ‘Stop hugging people! Stop getting close to people,'” she laughed. “But then, when I was done, she kind of pushed him out of the way and gave me just the biggest, warmest Michelle Obama hug.”
For more on Gorman and her poem, watch the video below.
