Ellen DeGeneres took a stand against the social media backlash she received after being seen sitting next to former President George W. Bush during an NFL game.
The daytime talk show host defended being with her “friend” to her liberal fans while addressing the Twitter mob with a reality check during her “Ellen” show monologue.
(Video: YouTube/TheEllenShow)
DeGeneres came under heavy social media fire after being spotted sitting next to Bush – who has appeared on her show before – and former first lady Laura Bush during Sunday’s Dallas Cowboys-Green Bay Packers game. She explained to the audience during the taping of the show that will air Tuesday that she and her partner Portia de Rossi were invited to the game by Charlotte Jones, daughter of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
George W. Bush sitting next to Ellen watching Packers @ Cowboys lmao pic.twitter.com/7H5nMSRTE2
— Damon J. Kecman (@DownWithDamon) October 6, 2019
“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,” she joked. “So I had to hide my cheese hat in Portia’s purse.”
Only at the Cowboys game: George and Laura Bush singing the National Anthem with Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi. ‘Merica! @fox4sports pic.twitter.com/X03931Mx7i
— John Gnann (@kdfw07) October 6, 2019
She went on to note how “fancy” people sat in the special section at Cowboys’ Stadium and that she was slammed for being okay with sitting next to Bush, who was criticized by Twitter users for his conservative beliefs and policies during his administration.
“People were upset,” DeGeneres said, noting how the supposedly “tolerant” left showed their true colors.
“They thought, why is a gay Hollywood liberal sitting next to a conservative Republican president?” she said. “A lot of people were mad. And they did what people do when they’re mad… they tweet.”
Peak liberalism is Ellen Degeneres casually sitting next to war criminal George W Bush watching football in thousand dollar seats
— Lil Puma (@TheJuanAndOnly3) October 6, 2019
Why are Ellen Degeneres and George W. Bush watching the Cowboys-packers game together? Has she forgotten about that whole anti-gay marriage, war in Iraq, general incompetence thing?
— Adam B. Lerner (@AdamBLerner) October 6, 2019
As Ellen is a gleeful participant in the George W. Bush Rehabilitation Project, I’d just like to point out George W. Bush’s 2004 re-election relied upon pushing state ballot initiatives banning Same-Sex Marriage and pushing for a Constitutional Amendment banning it. pic.twitter.com/LYxHPgeFXZ
— Kevin D. Grüssing (Pronounced Grew-Sing) (@KevDGrussing) October 6, 2019
Degeneres did not regurgitate any of the negative backlash, however, choosing to focus on one tweet that she liked.
“Ellen and George Bush together makes me have faith in America again,” she read to audience applause.
HAHAHA Ellen and George Bush together makes me have faith in America again https://t.co/LMWYhwVy10
— Matt ? (@Matthew_Oooo) October 7, 2019
“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 told her audience. “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.”
“For instance, I wish people wouldn’t wear fur. I don’t like it, but I’m friends with people who wear fur,” she explained.
“But just because I don’t agree with someone on everything, doesn’t mean I’m not gonna be friends with them,” she added. “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.”
Her audience apparently agreed as they cheered and applauded.
“Even people who are already playing Christmas music, I mean, seriously, there’s no excuse for that, but I’m kind to them,” she joked.
As DeGeneres concluded, she thanked Charlotte and Jerry Jones as well as George and Laura Bush for a “Sunday afternoon that was so fun,” joking that they still owe her “six dollars for the nachos.”
Despite the left’s outrage, many on Twitter applauded DeGeneres’ call for kindness and her no-nonsense defense of genuinely being friends with people regardless of your differences.
President George Bush @GeorgeWBush and Ellen Degeneres @TheEllenShow are sitting together at the Packers & Cowboys game.
This shouldn’t trigger you.
This should give you hope for our future. ✌?
— BAM (@swimbrave) October 6, 2019
We going to need a lot of these reminders as we head into 2020 and it’s great that Ellen not only talked about her day with George W Bush, but embraced it and turned it into a great lesson for everyone out there.
Kudos to Ellen for taking the time to show everyone how it’s done. https://t.co/7LASWM5c7s
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) October 8, 2019
I don’t know why people are hating on this. This is exactly what our world needs right now. We need to see that people who disagree politically can sit together, be kind, and enjoy a football game. Chill people. This is a good thing. #lovewins #bekind https://t.co/xaDksPMsdl
— Amanda Fortner Oakes (@alfortner) October 7, 2019
This Ellen-Bush thing is Twitter at its worst. It’s good that 2 people so politically opposed (esp given Bush & marriage) can sit, be civil, and find enough common humanity to laugh. Appreciating the simplicity of that doesn’t mean “redeeming” W and doesn’t mandate canceling her.
— Patrick Miller (@pmiller1693) October 7, 2019
Are people really mad at Ellen because she sat next to and had a laugh with George W. Bush at a football game?!
If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it a million times: Sometimes people are so “woke” that they need to take a nap.
Good god.
— Justin Coe (@JustinCoe07) October 7, 2019
Need more of this in #America. #thankyou #loveyourneighbor #USA #BeEffectiveWithLife @TheEllenShow https://t.co/JZOB4Ozjoe
— Jake Barge (@JakeBarge) October 8, 2019
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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