The President and First Lady both filmed TV appearances in Burbank , California on Thursday - but billed taxpayers for two separate private flights to get there . Barack Obama took Air Force One to LAX , at a cost of more than $ 1million , so he could be on Jimmy Kimmel Live . But , rather than ride with him , Michelle Obama chartered a different , earlier plane for a slot on The Ellen DeGeneres Show , filmed in the same LA suburb as Kimmel 's program . Scroll down for video . Obamas ' day out : The president goofed around on-screen with Jimmy Kimmel , left , while the First Lady flew to California to give Ellen DeGeneres a hug ( right ) Busting moves on our dime : Michelle Obama took a different flight to her husband to appear on the Ellen DeGeneres show and dance to Uptown Funk . Tough at the top : Barack Obama took some time to read insulting tweets about himself on the show . Despite the closeness , the White House has insisted that the pair 's schedules 'were not in sync ' , CNN reported . The Commander-in-Chief used his time on the airwaves to read out mean tweets about himself , while Mrs Obama busted dance moves alongside DeGeneres to the tune of Uptown Funk . Obama 's episode of Kimmel has aired already , while the full DeGeneres show is due on Monday . White House deputy press secretary Eric Schultz defended the arrangement to a group of reporters on Air Force One . No room for Michelle : The president took Air Force One for the TV appearance , at an estimated cost of more than $ 1million . Low-key : Obama took Marine One , background , from LAX to Burbank airport . He said : ' I believe on this occasion the schedules were not in sync to travel together ... I 'm not even sure they overlapped . ' Obama 's visit was also occasion for a host of obvious - and expensive - security measures . When the president took a helicopter from LAX to Burbank airport , he was accompanied by three military choppers . A team of snipers was also dispatched to Los Angles to guard the president , who took a 40-car motorcade from Burbank 's airport to Kimmel 's studio . Entourage : These black-clad security men were on the tarmac in Los Angeles as part of Obama 's detail . The Obamas are not thought to have seen one other at all in California . The president flew on to Phoenix on Friday afternoon , while the First Lady returned to the White House Thursday . Air Force One costs more than $ 200,000 an hour to fly , meaning the tab for Obama 's flight to Los Angeles will have passed the $ 1million mark by itself . The specifics of the First Lady 's travel arrangements are not clear , though it is likely to have stacked tens of thousands of dollars on to the overall cost . It is not the first time the First Family has come under scrutiny for drafting multiple planes for very similar trips . A 2011 summer jaunt to Martha 's Vineyard saw the President take Air Force One solo to the famous golfing spot . Michelle , Sasha and Malia followed in a separate jet just four hours later - likely costing tens of thousands extra again . The Obama family went to even greater lengths to fly apart earlier that year . The annual presidential retreat to Hawaii saw Michelle and the children set off several days before the president , taking an 'office in the sky ' jet designed for military commanders , at an estimated cost of at $ 63,000 .
Barack Obama took Air Force One to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live . Cost for presidential jet along will have exceeded $ 1million . Martha took separate plane to be on The Ellen DeGeneres Show . Both shows were filmed in Burbank , California , on Thursday . White House insists that their 'schedules were not in sync ' Obamas flew separately before - for breaks in Hawaii and Michelle Obama 's Vineyard .