George W Bush has praised Ellen DeGeneres’ comments in response to backlash from critics who attacked her on Twitter for sitting next to the former president at a Dallas Cowboys game.
‘President and Mrs Bush really enjoyed being with Ellen and Portia [de Rossi] and appreciated Ellen’s comments about respecting one another. They respect her,’ Bush spokesman Freddy Ford told Fox News on Tuesday.
Photos and videos of DeGeneres and Bush watching the Cowboys-Green Bay Packers game on Sunday sparked a social media firestorm earlier this week as fans shared mixed feelings about the unexpected pairing.
DeGeneres responded to a flurry of negative reactions on her show Tuesday.
She shared a clip from her monologue on Twitter Monday night, writing in the caption: ‘Yes, that was me at the Cowboys game with George W Bush over the weekend. Here’s the whole story.’
‘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,’ DeGeneres said.
‘We’re all different and I think that we’ve forgotten that that’s okay that we’re all different… but just because I don’t agree with someone on everything doesn’t mean that I’m not going to be friends with them,’ she added.
George W Bush praised Ellen DeGeneres’ comments in response to backlash from critics who attacked her on Twitter for sitting next to the former president and his wife Laura (above together) at a Dallas Cowboys game on Sunday
Photos and videos of DeGeneres and Bush watching the Cowboys-Green Bay Packers game together sparked a social media firestorm as fans shared mixed feelings about the odd pairing
DeGeneres posted a clip from Tuesday’s pre-recorded show to Twitter where she addressed the flurry of negative tweets she received after her afternoon with the Bushes
The daytime talk show host explained that she and her wife Portia de Rossi were invited to the game by Charlotte Jones, daughter of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
‘When we were invited, I was aware that I was going to be surrounded with people from very different views and beliefs. And I’m not talking about politics… I was rooting for the Packers,’ DeGeneres joked in her monologue. ‘So I had to hide my cheese hat in Portia’s purse.’
The couple were sitting in a private suite owned Jerry Jones while DeGeneres was right next to Bush and his wife Laura and Charlotte Jones was opposite de Rossi.
DeGeneres even shared a video she took from the seats, panning to show her view of the stadium which then lands on a wide-mouthed Bush.
DeGeneres shared a video she took from the seats, which panned to show her view of the stadium before landing on a wide-mouthed Bush
The daytime talk show host explained that she and her wife Portia de Rossi (above together) were invited to the game by Charlotte Jones, daughter of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones
Addressing the backlash, DeGeneres said: ‘People were upset.
‘They thought, why is a gay Hollywood liberal sitting next to a conservative Republican president? A lot of people were mad. And they did what people do when they’re mad… they tweet.’
‘I don’t care how nice of a guy George W Bush is. He was one of our worst presidents and left our country and world in bad shape. The mess he helped create we’re still trying to dig out of,’ journalist Aaron Rupar tweeted. ‘This is a bad look for @TheEllenShow.’
ESPN commentator Clinton Yates tweeted: ‘Ellen sitting next to Dubya definitely qualified as a Sunday shocker.’
Writer and activist Parker Molloy called DeGeneres’ decision to hang out with Bush a ‘bold choice’.
Another person tweeted: ‘Name a more weird couple.’
Journalist Aaron Rupar was one of many Twitter users who criticized DeGeneres for associating with Bush at the game
Writer and activist Parker Molloy called DeGeneres’ decision to sit with Bush a ‘bold choice’
Amid the large number of critical tweets were a few tweets expressing support for the friendship.
One person joked that they would love to watch a sitcom starring DeGeneres and Bush.
‘George W. Bush cracking jokes with Ellen at the #GBvsDAL game is the best thing to happen this year,’ another tweeted.
During her Tuesday monologue, DeGeneres read one tweet that she said was her favorite.
‘Ellen and George Bush together makes me have faith in America again,’ it read.
She notably edited the original tweet, cutting out the user’s ‘HAHAHA’ precursor before the touching comment.
DeGeneres said: ‘When I say be kind to one another I don’t mean only the people that think the same way you do.’
She concluded by thanking Charlotte and Jerry Jones as well as George and Laura Bush for a ‘Sunday afternoon that was so fun,’ but added that they owe her ‘six dollars for the nachos’.
During her Tuesday monologue, DeGeneres read one tweet that she said was her favorite. ‘Ellen and George Bush together makes me have faith in America again,’ it said
She notably edited the original tweet, cutting out the user’s ‘HAHAHA’ precursor before the touching comment