The Obamas' Vacation With George Clooney Had Quite The Gross Debacle

The Obama family barely avoided witnessing a rare George Clooney fail when they stayed at his famed estate in Lake Como, Italy. As part of their lavish lifestyle post-White House, former President Barack Obama, his wife Michelle, and their daughters Sasha and Malia traveled to Italy in 2019 for a charity event with the Clooney Foundation for Justice. 

Clooney, a longtime family friend, invited them to stay at his gorgeous Italian property. The trip was likely a treat, though the former first family narrowly escaped a frigid fiasco. Clooney freaked out when he realized that not only was his pool not retaining water, but that the water had also dipped to freezing temperatures. The actor then had his bodyguard, Giovanni, call a plumber named Dante Pennè, who had to work fast to return the pool to normal before the Obamas' arrival.

"What a race," the plumber told the newspaper Corriere Della Sera (via The Daily Beast). "I arrive and they are all upset. Giovanni says to me: hurry up, hurry up!" Pennè snapped back, "Let me work, otherwise I won't be able to fix it." Fortunately, Pennè was able to do just that, correcting both issues in the nick of time. His prompt service even warranted him a selfie with an incredibly grateful Clooney, who reportedly said, "Thank you, I was worried. You know, my friend is a tanned guy, he doesn't like cold water." The rest of the trip apparently went off without a hitch, with Clooney and Obama having an especially amazing time together. "George and Barack looked like best friends," shared a source with E! News of the trip, adding, "They were laughing the entire time and taking pictures together."

Barack Obama and George Clooney have had one of the most enduring Hollywood friendships, and it all started when the actor backed Obama ahead of the 2008 presidential election. They've managed to sustain their bond throughout Obama's two presidential terms and the subsequent decade. Their bond isn't one-sided, either. While Clooney has invested much time into Obama's political career, the latter has also supported the former's artistic endeavors. According to The Independent, the former president and his wife were two of the lucky attendees to a May 2025 showing of Clooney's play "Good Night, and Good Luck."

Hopefully, this show of support is a better indicator of the current state of their friendship than what other reports suggest. For instance, Obama and Clooney apparently experienced a bit of tension after the former president reportedly encouraged Clooney to write the op-ed that many have credited with helping influence Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential election. 

"George is furious with Obama for disappearing after the election disaster and leaving him holding the bag for pushing the plan with his Hollywood pals," shared a source (via OK! Magazine). They added: "Barack knew he would look like a traitor if he publicly called for Joe to be cut loose. And now, he's trying to walk away from it all." Whatever the true narrative, we hope that these friends don't turn into enemies.