Much of Hollywood may be toasting the president for announcing he personally supports gay marriage, but Howard Stern isn't having any of it.
At a press conference about his new "America's Got Talent" judging duties, the radio host told reporters that his "feelings are very clear on this."
"I wish the president actually had gone further. I wish he said he was going to back some legislation on the national level," Stern said.
Some are taking issue with the timing and content of Obama's announcement, noting that it took the president well into the third year of his term to concede that he believed same-sex couples should be able to marry. Obama also did not endorse any federal legislation on the matter.
Stern found the move calculated, but admitted that it could herald eventual progress. "Okay, this is a good first step," he said. "It's a baby step."
"Will and Grace" co-creator Max Mutchnick called the president's statement "very choreographed" and revealed that Joe Biden teased the comments the vice president made on "Meet the Press" during an earlier, private function. Biden later famously said he believed "'Will and Grace' probably did more to educate the American public than almost anything anyone's ever done so far." He said he was "absolutely comfortable" with gay marriage.
Obama's announcement came just days later, causing some to speculate that Biden's surprising comment may have forced the president's hand. To continue to hedge on gay marriage risked alienating a key constituency within his base.
Until his announcement Wednesday, the administration had described the president's views on the issue as "evolving."
Obama's campaign launched a new ad after his announcement, blasting Mitt Romney as "backwards on equality" and highlighting the president's new position.
For some more lighthearted reactions to Obama's statement, scroll through the gallery below.