Mel Brooks Pranks President Obama, Pretends to Pull His Pants Down
The actor and comedian pretended to pull down Obama's pants.
— -- Well, this is a first. Mel Brooks just pranked President Barack Obama in his home, the White House.
Brooks, 90, was awarded the 2015 National Medal of Arts today "for a lifetime of making the world laugh," the White House said in a statement. He's one of few entertainers to have earned an Academy Award, an Emmy, a Tony and a Grammy.
After Obama placed the medal around the legendary comedian's neck, Brooks pretended to pull down the president's pants.
Some reports speculate that the filmmaker was simply pretending to fall down under the weight of the medal.
Still, the moment caused many in the audience to laugh and applaud.
At the end of the ceremony, Obama quipped that "Mel Brooks kind of set the tone for this thing," adding that normally it's "been a much more staid affair."
Among the other honorees this year were music producer and Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, choreographer Ralph Lemon, playwright and actor Luis Valdez, the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Connecticut and actor Morgan Freeman, who was not in attendance.