Jenna Ortega has spent enough time around Hollywood A-listers to be unfazed by fame. But before she was the queen of Netflix’s Wednesday, she was just a kid with a major, major crush. And no, it wasn’t on a pop star or an actor—Ortega set her sights much higher.
Yep, little Ortega was head over heels for none other than Barack Obama. While most kids her age were obsessing over Disney Channel heartthrobs, she was mesmerized by the 44th President of the United States.
Obama took office when she was just six, and by the time he started his second term, she was fully in love. The American artist watched his inauguration like it was a Disney movie, completely in awe.
But Ortega didn’t just admire from afar—she took action. She started writing letters to Obama, pouring her little heart out in hopes of a response. And when that didn’t work? She switched tactics. The Cal native reached out to Oprah Winfrey, hoping she could facilitate a meeting between them. On 20 Questions: On Deadline podcast, the 22-year-old said:
“I started writing him letters, and I would write Oprah letters because I saw that they were friends in magazines,” Ortega revealed. “So I was obsessed with this woman. Like, ‘Please let me meet Barack, ‘Barry,’ whatever.’”
As time passed, Ortega’s presidential crush faded. But her connection to Winfrey? That came back around in a way she wasn’t expecting. When Ortega eventually met Lady O at the premiere of A Wrinkle in Time in 2018, she found herself too starstruck to speak. Yes, despite her earlier efforts to connect!
No smooth introduction, no clever mention of her childhood letters—just silence. The same kid who wrote multiple letters to Winfrey about Obama couldn’t say a single word when she finally met one of them. However, Ortega got her chance to chat with the talk show host at the after-party, even though she skipped the small talk on the red carpet.
Despite her rise to fame, Ortega still hasn’t met Obama. And apparently, she’s holding out hope. “Nope,” she admitted when asked if they’d crossed paths. “I’m waiting on it. I’m waiting for a response on those letters.” A late reply to her fan mail from Obama? Now that would be the perfect reunion!
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