The bizarre moment was said to have provided light relief to the ceremony as the President reeled off the 90-year-old’s achievements in his film career.
While mentioning Blazing Saddles, President Obama said: 'Write anything you want because we'll never be heard from again. We will all be arrested for this movie.'
Others who received the 2015 National Medals of Arts and Humanities awards were chef Jose Andres, author Sandra Cisneros, composer Philip Glass and singer Audra McDonald.
