Ellen DeGeneres Responds To Criticism For Sitting With George W. Bush

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Ellen DeGeneres Faces A Lot Of Backlash For George W. Bush Friendship

Over the weekend, photos of beloved daytime TV host Ellen DeGeneres sitting next to former president George W. Bush at the Dallas Cowboys game were circulating on social media and causing all sorts of confusion.

While some fans were tickled by the unlikely pairing, others were quick to point out the irony of Ellen being friendly with Bush, considering his politics—especially his anti-LGTBQ stance, given that Ellen is a lesbian. George W. Bush previously called for making gay marriage unconstitutional in 2004, saying, “the union of a man and a woman is the most enduring human institution, honored and encouraged in all cultures and by every religious faith.”

On Tuesday, once DeGeneres returned to her day job, she posted a video explaining her thoughts on all the backlash and gave an explanation for what led her to this situation. Ellen revealed that she and her wife Portia de Rossi were invited to the game by the daughter of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Charlotte Jones.

“People were upset, they thought why is a gay Hollywood liberal sitting next to a conservative Republican president,” the host began. “Here’s the thing, I’m friends with George Bush, in fact I’m friends with a lot of people who don’t share the same beliefs that I have. We’re all different and I think we’ve forgotten that that’s OK that we’re all different. For instance, I wish people wouldn’t wear fur. I don’t like it, but I’m friends with people who wear fur. I’m friends with people who are furry, as a matter of a fact. Just because I don’t agree with someone on everything doesn’t mean that I’m not going to be friends with them. When I say be kind to one another I don’t mean only the people that think the same way that you do, I mean be kind to everyone. Doesn’t matter.”