LeVar Burton, Lester Holt and More Luminaries Attend State Dinner for Kenya's President and First Lady — See the Photos

Lawrence Yee

24 May 2024 at 1:21 am·3-min read

The black tie affair was hosted by President Biden and First Lady Biden

<p>Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty (2)</p> LeVar Burton and Lester Holt attend the state dinner in honor of Kenya — Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty (2)
LeVar Burton and Lester Holt attend the state dinner in honor of Kenya's president William Ruto on May 23, 2024

The White House pulled out all the stops to welcome President William Ruto of Kenya and his wife, First Lady Rachel Ruto.

On Thursday, May 23, luminaries from the world of politics, cultures and the arts arrived for an official State Dinner at the residence of President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.

Former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were also in attendance, as was Vice President Kamala Harris, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and members of the cabinet.

Other notable attendees included actor LeVar Burton and his wife Stephanie, journalist Lester Holt and his wife Carol, civil rights leader Al Sharpton and his girlfriend Aisha McShaw, and country singer Brad Paisley and his wife Kimberly.

Paisley performed at the event.

Check out to see all the State Dinner arrivals below:

Kenya's First Lady Rachel Ruto, Kenya's President William Ruto, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden

<p>ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty</p> US President Joe Biden (2nd R), First Lady Jill Biden (R), President William Ruto ( 2nd L) and First Lady Rachel Ruto of Kenya arrive for a State Dinner at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 23, 2024. — ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty
US President Joe Biden (2nd R), First Lady Jill Biden (R), President William Ruto ( 2nd L) and First Lady Rachel Ruto of Kenya arrive for a State Dinner at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 23, 2024.

Kenya's First Lady Rachel Ruto, President Joe Biden, and First Lady Jill Biden

<p>Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty</p> Rachel Ruto, President Joe Biden, and First Lady Jill Biden at the state dinner — Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty
Rachel Ruto, President Joe Biden, and First Lady Jill Biden at the state dinner

Vice President Kamala Harris and Douglas Emhoff

Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton

Barack Obama

LeVar Burton and Stephanie Cozart Burton

Carol Hagen-Holt and Lester Holt

Wilmer Valderrama and Amanda Pacheco Rhinesmith

Tom Bernthal and Sheryl Sandberg

Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley

Reverend Al Sharpton and Aisha McShaw

Huma Abedin and Alex Soros

Melinda French Gates and Rory Gates

Paul Keary and Ursula Burns

Pete Buttigieg and Chasten Glezman

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.

Australian Associated Press
German police shoot man wielding small axe
A man allegedly carrying a small axe and a Molotov cocktail has been shot in the leg by police in the German city of Hamburg.
Australian Associated Press
Supersub Weghorst scores late again to stun Poland
Netherlands forward Wout Weghorst once again stepped off the substitutes' bench to deliver a late winner after Poland had struck first with an early header.
Australian Associated Press
Australian writer's Chinese sentence upheld: supporters
Beijing's High People's Court has upheld Australian writer Yang Hengjun's suspended death sentence, his supporters say.
Australian Associated Press
Fox is poles apart with gold medal spree ahead of Games
Australia's Jessica Fox is perfectly placed for her fourth Olympic Games after winning three gold medals at the Canoe Slalom World Cup in Poland.
Australian Associated Press
Two killed, several wounded in shooting in Texas park
Authorities in Texas say a shooting in a park during a Juneteenth celebration has left two people dead and several wounded.
Australian Associated Press
Mitchell gets Blues recall, Moses in for Hynes
Michael Maguire has dropped Nicho Hynes and called Mitch Moses into the NSW side for State of Origin II, with Latrell Mitchell one of five new faces.
Australian Associated Press
Russian forces kill ISIS-linked hostage takers
Several terrorism-accused inmates who allegedly took guards hostage at a Russian pre-trial detention facility have been shot dead by special forces.
Australian Associated Press
Former French president Sarkozy flags poll chaos risk
Possible chaos triggered by Emmanuel Macron's decision to call a snap French election could be challenging to get out of, a former president has warned.
Australian Associated Press
Giants soar to fifth with scrappy win over Power
GWS have shot up to fifth spot on the AFL ladder with a 22-point win over Port Adelaide in a contest blighted by poor goalkicking.
Australian Associated Press
Luai stars as Panthers survive Knights scare
Jarome Luai was inspirational as Penrith built a 14-point half-time lead that powered the reigning NRL premiers to victory over Newcastle.
Australian Associated Press
Aussie Matt Burton claims emotional Cairns Ironman win
West Australian triathlete Matt Burton has won the Ironman Asia-Pacific championship in Cairns, with Kiwi Hannah Berry taking out the women's title.
Australian Associated Press
Fowler breaks scoring record as Fever beat Swifts
The NSW Swifts cut ties with controversial import Sam Joseph-Wallace but had no answers for record-breaking Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard as they lost to the Fever.
Australian Associated Press
Feeney claims back-to-back Darwin race wins
Triple Eight driver Broc Feeney has notched his fifth Supercars win of the year, leading teammate Will Brown for a one-two finish in the final Darwin race.
Australian Associated Press
Pies pull off stunning AFL comeback to deny Kangaroos
Collingwood fought back from 54 points down as Bobby Hill kicked five goals, including the match-winner, in a stunning one-point triumph over North Melbourne.
Australian Associated Press
One man dead, two survive after yacht capsizes
A father and son have been rescued and a third man is dead after a yacht capsized off the central Queensland coast, triggering a major search operation.
Australian Associated Press
Seibold lauds gutsy Manly after 30-14 win over Dragons
Manly have moved into the NRL's top eight with a spirited 30-14 win over St George Illawarra.
Australian Associated Press
Knocking out England not on mind as Aussies beat Scots
Australia have pulled off a last-over win against Scotland, keeping England's Twenty20 World Cup alive and avoiding another spirit-of-cricket debate.
Australian Associated Press
Biden slams US Supreme Court at star-studded fundraiser
Hollywood celebrities George Clooney and Julia Roberts were among the guests at a fundraiser for Joe Biden that raised $42 million for his re-election campaign.
Australian Associated Press
Aussie boxer Paro stuns 'bogeyman' to claim world title
Aussie boxer Liam Paro has scored a stunning upset, claiming the IBF junior welterweight title with a unanimous points win over Subriel Matias in Puerto Rico.
Australian Associated Press
Mavs knock on top-four door, extend Firebirds' misery
The Queensland Firebirds' turbulent off-court week has ended in further disappointment on the court with a 12-goal loss to the Melbourne Mavericks.