The UFC White House was expected to be a stellar event, but unfortunately the evening turned out to be something different. Despite being such a high profile event, it failed to attract A-listers for reasons unknown. However, several popular celebrites made it to the inaugration of the Obama Centre a few days later.
This incident shows that there’s still some competition between the current and the former US Presidents. Despite this lacklustre turnout at the event, it still managed to gross an average of 8 million viewers on Paramount.
List of Celebrities Who Weren’t At the UFC White House
The following celebrities were missing from the UFC White House event but attended the Obama Centre inaugration on June 17, 2026:
- Stevie Wonder
- Bruce Springsteen
- Bono and The Edge (from U2)
- The Roots
- Christina Aguilera
- Jennifer Hudson
- John Legend
- Eddie Vedder (from Pearl Jam)
- Marc Anthony
- Common
- Tems
- Marsai Martin
Although the reason for their absence is unclear, most of the names have been associated for a long time with the Democrats, and have vocal critics of President Trump’s actions while in office. In fact, he also addressed Springsteen as a “dried up prune” on Truth Social a while back.
This incident also proves that Barack Obama still maintains a considerable reputation amongst the celebrity A-listers. As reported by the Daily Beast, the other celebrities who missed out on the event were:
- Adam Sandler
- Guy Ritchie
- Tom Brady
- Jared Leto
- Jason Statham
- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
- Mario Lopez
It’s very surprising to see The Rock miss out on an event of this stature. He’s had a long standing relationship with the UFC, and even presented the inaugral BMF belt.
That said, this isn’t the first time that Hollywood celebrities have distanced themselves from an event hosted by the President. Previously, most celebrities and performers expected to perform at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, backed out at the last moment, causing the President to cancel the event as a whole.
