Obama proud of Ellen DeGeneres for helping change hearts and minds on gay rights

Appearing Friday on Ellen DeGeneres' daytime talk show, President Barack Obama thanked DeGeneres for helping change hearts and minds on gay rights.

"I can't thank you enough for what you have done for the gay community," DeGeneres told the president. "So, thank you."

"It's one of the things I'm proudest of," Obama responded. "Because my whole political career has been based on the idea that we constantly want to include people and not exclude them."

"But ...changing hearts and minds, I don't think anyone has been more influential than you on that. That's true."

"You being willing to claim who you were, then suddenly empowers other people. And then suddenly it's your brother; it's your uncle; it's you best friend; it's your co-worker. And then attitudes shift and the laws followed, but it started with folks like you. I'm so proud of you," Obama added.

Always the comedian, DeGeneres joked that she wasn't really gay: "I just thought it would work and had to stick with it because people responded."