Star Salute! Celebs Celebrate Presidential Inaugurations

From Beyoncé and Mariah to John Lennon and Frank Sinatra, see which stars honored America's leaders, both past and present

01 of 28

BARACK OBAMA: BEYONCé

BARACK OBAMA: BEYONCé
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The singer showcased her award-winning vocals to sing the National Anthem during President Obama's second inauguration Monday afternoon in Washington, D.C.

02 of 28

EVA LONGORIA

EVA LONGORIA
Anthony Behar/Sipa

The former Desperate Housewives star, who co-chaired President Obama's re-election campaign, savored the historic day with a photo op Monday at the U.S. Capitol.

03 of 28

ALICIA KEYS

ALICIA KEYS
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters/Landov

The Grammy winner, who documented her inaugural weekend for PEOPLE, mesmerized the crowd while performing Monday night at the Commander-in-Chief's ball. The singer reworked the lyrics to her hit "Girl on Fire," declaring, "Obama's on fire!"

04 of 28

KATY PERRY

Waving the Flag
Olivier Douliery/ABACA

Katy Perry works the teen and 'tween crowd at Washington, D.C.'s Kids Inaugural Concert, to honor military families. First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia had front-row seats, the better to see and hear Usher, the cast from Glee and others.

05 of 28

BARACK OBAMA '08: BEYONCé

BARACK OBAMA '08: BEYONCé
Rick Wilking/Landov

To celebrate Obama's 2008 victory, Beyoncé serenaded the President and first lady with a powerful rendition of Etta James's classic, "At Last," while the couple took their first dance at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball on Jan. 20, 2009. "The Obamas inspire me to be better, to be smarter, to do more," the singer said.

06 of 28

MARIAH CAREY

MARIAH CAREY
Chip Somodevilla/Getty

Also honoring President Obama: American Idol's newest judge, who performed her ballad "Hero" before the first couple took the stage at the Neighborhood Ball.

07 of 28

MARC ANTHONY & JENNIFER LOPEZ

MARC ANTHONY & JENNIFER LOPEZ
Gerald Herbert/AP

After performing a surprise romantic duet at the Jan. 20 Western Inaugural Ball, the former couple shared a laugh with Vice President-elect Joe Biden inside the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. "It's amazing to feel the world changing," J. Lo told PEOPLE.

08 of 28

BON JOVI, U2, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & USHER

BON JOVI, U2, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & USHER
Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Bringing together the best of pop, rock and RampB, the music legends – Bon Jovi, The Edge, Springsteen, Bono and Usher – took the stage at the Jan. 18 We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration.

09 of 28

ASHTON KUTCHER & DEMI MOORE

ASHTON KUTCHER & DEMI MOORE
Abby Brack/Getty

Looks like hard work does pay off! The former lovebirds, who stumped for Obama in Kutcher's home state of Iowa, celebrated the 44th President's win by hitting up the Jan. 20 Youth Inaugural Ball.

10 of 28

BILLY RAY & MILEY CYRUS & THE JONAS BROTHERS

BILLY RAY & MILEY CYRUS & THE JONAS BROTHERS
Gabriel B. Tait/Getty, Jewel Samad/Getty

With the newly elected first daughters Malia and Sasha Obama sitting front and center, the pop-rock trio headlined the Jan. 19 Kids' Inaugural: We Are the Future concert alongside Miley and her dad. "It was awesome," Joe said of seeing the Obamas and the Bidens dancing in the front row. "I had to get them up on stage and celebrate together."

11 of 28

OPRAH WINFREY & STEDMAN GRAHAM

OPRAH WINFREY & STEDMAN GRAHAM
Elise Amendola/AP

The media mogul, who was one of Obama's most influential supporters, trekked to the U.S. capital with her longtime partner to witness the president's inauguration on Jan. 20. "This is very, very personal," Winfrey said at a 2007 rally for the then-presidential candidate. "For the very first time in my life, I feel compelled to stand up and speak out for the man who I believe has a new vision for America."

12 of 28

GEORGE W. BUSH: RICKY MARTIN

GEORGE W. BUSH: RICKY MARTIN
Rick Wilking/Liaison/Getty

The Latin superstar proudly shared the stage with the President-elect and first lady Laura Bush during a Jan. 18, 2001, concert at Washington's Lincoln Memorial that kicked off four days of celebrations to mark Dubya's inauguration.

13 of 28

JESSICA SIMPSON & NICK LACHEY

JESSICA SIMPSON & NICK LACHEY
David McNew/Newsmakers/Getty

Get a room! The former pop couple shared an intimate moment while performing at a Jan. 19 pre-inauguration concert for President Bush. Simpson performed her 2000 hit single "I Think That I'm in Love with You" for her fellow Texan, tailoring the song lyrics to "George, I think that I'm in love with you."

14 of 28

HILARY DUFF

HILARY DUFF
Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty

Give her a hand! The actress enjoyed a little face time with the 43rd President after performing at the Jan. 18, 2005, America's Future Rocks Today youth event honoring Bush's second inauguration.

15 of 28

RYAN SEACREST

RYAN SEACREST
Mark Wilson/Getty

Seacrest traded the American Idol stage for the political stage to host the Celebration of Freedom concert in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 19, 2005, the day before President Bush was sworn in for his second term.

16 of 28

BILL CLINTON: BARBRA STREISAND

BILL CLINTON: BARBRA STREISAND
AFP/Getty

Besides the President-elect, Streisand was the other undisputed star of the Jan. 20, 1993, inaugural gala at the Capital Centre in Landover, Md. She began her performance with Clinton's favorite Babs tune, "Evergreen," then segued into a lullaby and "Children Will Listen." When the iconic songstress closed the show with a triumphant rendition of "God Bless America," the audience jumped to its feet and cheered wildly.

17 of 28

MICHAEL JACKSON & STEVIE NICKS

MICHAEL JACKSON & STEVIE NICKS
AFP/Getty

Clinton joined Jackson and Nicks on stage at the Capital Centre for a jubilant cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop," which had become the unofficial Clinton campaign song. It was a historic night for Nicks and her Mac band members too: It marked the first time in 16 years that they'd performed together.

18 of 28

ARETHA FRANKLIN, MICHAEL JACKSON & DIANA ROSS

ARETHA FRANKLIN, MICHAEL JACKSON & DIANA ROSS
Cynthia Johnson/Getty

Three days earlier, the King of Pop took part in the free Call for Reunion outdoor concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, alongside Franklin and Ross, who bundled up against the chilly temps.

19 of 28

LL COOL J

LL COOL J
Cynthia Johnson/Liaison/Getty

Also at the Jan. 17 Lincoln Memorial concert: rapper L.L. Cool, who played to the crowd, which numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

20 of 28

STEVIE WONDER

STEVIE WONDER
Luke Frazza/AFP/Getty

To celebrate Clinton's 1997 re-election, the superstar joined the President and Hillary Clinton at the Jan. 20 An American Journey event, one of 14 presidential balls held inauguration weekend in the nation's capital.

21 of 28

RONALD REAGAN: BOB HOPE

RONALD REAGAN: BOB HOPE
Diana Walker/Getty

During the 1981 inaugural ball, comedian Hope did five minutes of standup about the actor-turned-politician at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Before joining the funnyman on stage, the future President and wife Nancy were treated to zingers like, "Ronald Reagan is not a typical politician because he doesn't know how to lie, cheat and steal. He's always had an agent to do that."

22 of 28

MUHAMMAD ALI

MUHAMMAD ALI
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The renowned boxing champ added some punch to the proceedings at the January 19, 1985, inaugural ball at the Washington Convention Center celebrating Reagan's second term of office.

23 of 28

TOM SELLECK

TOM SELLECK
Ron Galella/WireImage

When Selleck attended the Convention Center ball with wife Jillie Mack, the mustachioed macho man was riding the wave of success, playing a private detective fighting crime on the popular TV series Magnum, P.I.

24 of 28

DONNA SUMMER

DONNA SUMMER
Courtesy Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

The sultry "Love to Love You Baby" singer brought disco to center stage during the Jan. 19 Inaugural Gala with an upbeat performance of "Living in America."

25 of 28

JIMMY CARTER: JOHN LENNON & YOKO ONO

JIMMY CARTER: JOHN LENNON & YOKO ONO

The former Beatle and political activist made a rare appearance at the Jan. 20, 1977, inaugural ball with wife Ono to congratulate the liberal-leaning Carter.

26 of 28

JOHN F. KENNEDY: FRANK SINATRA & PETER LAWFORD

JOHN F. KENNEDY: FRANK SINATRA & PETER LAWFORD
Leonard McCombe/Getty

After actively campaigning for Kennedy, Sinatra and Lawford organized a star-studded gala fund-raiser on Jan. 20, 1961, at the National Guard Armory in Washington, D.C., the day before their pal was sworn in as President. The two entertainers recruited such A-listers as Nat King Cole and Gene Kelly and raised over $1 million for the Democratic Party.

27 of 28

TONY CURTIS & JANET LEIGH

TONY CURTIS & JANET LEIGH
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One of Hollywood's most glamorous duos to attend Kennedy's inaugural ball, Leigh was filling movie theaters with blood-curdling shower screams in Psycho, while Curtis was on the big screen playing a hunky servant to Laurence Olivier in Spartacus.

28 of 28

LAURENCE OLIVIER, BETTE DAVIS & JIMMY DURANTE

LAURENCE OLIVIER, BETTE DAVIS & JIMMY DURANTE
Alfred Eisenstaedt//Time Life Pictures/Getty

What a trio! The Kennedy inaugural ball was a hot ticket as stars like Olivier, Davis and Durante – who sang a version of Kennedy favorite "September Song" – filled the stage. Sinatra had reportedly convinced several Broadway producers to close down their shows for the night so luminaries like Olivier and Ethel Merman could attend.

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