00:02Please join me in welcoming Dulé Hill.
00:18All right, all right.
00:21Bradford Whitley, my man.
00:26I have to tell you, I am truly amazed and honored to be standing here
00:30celebrating with you on this momentous occasion.
00:32When I first met you, I was a young man.
00:35I was looking for a messenger job.
00:37And you had the nerve to offer me a bigger and better job
00:41working with that young man right there.
00:44You know, at that time, I could not have fathomed in my mind's eye.
00:49You know, that was 27 years ago.
00:51I could not have fathomed in my mind's eye that for over a quarter of a century more,
00:54all of our lives would be so closely intertwined.
00:57It has been a gift to watch your life evolve and grow.
01:02Through seasons of transition and change,
01:04you have faced life and stayed open with the beauty that lies ahead.
01:08And truly, it has been inspirational.
01:10If I could describe you in one word, Brad, it would be consistent.
01:14Consistent professionally in the magnificent work you've done over the years.
01:17Consistent passionately as you support all and you advocate for the causes that are near and dear to you.
01:24But the one that sticks out the most to me is consistent personally.
01:27You have been personally consistent with me for the course of the time that I've known you.
01:32And I truly appreciate that.
01:34Thank you very much. Yes, thank him. Yes.
01:36You know, whenever I call, you always answer.
01:40And that resonates with me.
01:42Okay.
01:44Let me clarify.
01:45Whenever I call at some point within the near future, you're going to always respond.
01:55Eventually.
01:56You may not necessarily answer, but you will respond eventually.
02:00And look, it's understandable.
02:00You're always on the move.
02:01I mean, I can't keep up with you.
02:03I don't think anybody can keep up with you.
02:04Amy, maybe you can.
02:05I don't know.
02:06No one ever knows where in the world Brad is.
02:08So as a matter of fact, they should just retire Waldo and publish Where's Brad?
02:13You know, and nobody would blink an eye.
02:15It would all make perfect sense.
02:17One minute he's in Toronto.
02:18The next minute he's here in L.A.
02:20Then before you know it, he's in Italy or Budapest filming something.
02:24And somehow, while he's still in Italy and Budapest, he's magically in Wisconsin or some other state that needs his
02:30help to get out the vote.
02:31He's there at the same time.
02:33It's really impressive how you manage it all, you handle it all, and you do it with grace.
02:38You know, as I look at your journey, what I see is a bright and shining light.
02:43And that really is true.
02:44You are a beacon of dedication, of service, of community, of humanity, of family, of love, of artistry.
02:52You are a beacon of a life well lived.
02:55My grandmother, she would always say to me, later will be greater.
02:58And when I look at your life and I see the faces of your family, I see Francis and George
03:05and Mary Louisa and Iris, and of course, the beautiful and wonderful Amy Landecker, I can only hear my grandmother's
03:15words echoing true in my ear.
03:17Your later is most definitely greater, Brad, and your light is shining so wonderfully bright.
03:23Your star is shining so magnificently bright.
03:27Not as bright as Allison Janney's, but it's still bright.
03:33I mean, come on.
03:34I mean, it's Allison Janney.
03:35It's Allison Janney, Brad Whitford.
03:37I mean, come on.
03:38But here's the thing, at least the good thing is that it will always be sitting right next to Allison's
03:42on this magnificent walkway.
03:44People will walk on by, they'll see Allison's star, and they'll be like, oh my gosh, that's Allison Janney.
03:49She's so beautiful.
03:49She's so amazing.
03:50She's so wonderful.
03:51And then they'll slide their gaze to the side, and they'll be like, oh, that's Bradley Whitford.
03:56Okay.
03:57And they'll keep on walking by, you know what I mean?
04:00Congratulations, my man, on this magnificent honor.
04:02I'll tell you this.
04:04I love you.
04:05My family loves you.
04:06I know the West Wing family loves you, including Josh Molina.
04:10And we're all so incredibly proud of this accomplishment for you.
04:13Keep on shining.
04:15All right.
