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Ellen DeGeneres is addressing her critics head-on. On Sunday, the Ellen host attended a Dallas Cowboys game, and a photo quickly went viral of she and President George W. Bush laughing it up in the owner’s box. Left-leaning Twitter users slammed DeGeneres for palling around with the Republican president, but she’s not shying away from the controversy: in a clip set to air Tuesday, she defends her relationship with Bush, saying, “I’m friends with a lot of people who don’t share the same beliefs that I have.” DeGeneres goes on to say that we should “be kind to everyone,” regardless of whether we agree with them or not. “We’re all different, and I think that we’ve forgotten that that’s okay,” says the TV personality.
On Monday night, DeGeneres released a clip of her discussing the backlash (the clip will air during today’s show). “This weekend, I went to Dallas for the Cowboys game,” she explains. “It may not seem like a big deal for a celebrity to attend a football game, but I never leave my house. So it is a big deal.” DeGeneres explains that she and her wife Portia de Rossi were invited by Charlotte Jones, daughter of Cowboys owner Jerry, and were seated in the owner’s box next to George W. and Laura Bush.
“When we were invited, I was aware that I was going to be surrounded with people from very different views and beliefs,” says the Ellen host, adding that these differences weren’t about “politics,” as she was rooting for the Green Bay Packers. “During the game, they showed a shot of George and me laughing together, so people were upset,” she continues, as the image pops up on screen. “They thought, ‘Why is a gay Hollywood liberal sitting next to a conservative Republican president?’ Didn’t even notice I’m holding the brand new iPhone 11. But a lot of people were mad, and they did what people do when they’re mad: they tweet.”
Rather than amplify critical tweets, DeGeneres pulls up a positive one. “Here’s one tweet that I loved. This person says, ‘Ellen and George Bush together makes me have faith in America again,'” she says, clapping. “Exactly. 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 that we’ve forgotten that that’s okay that we’re all different.
“Just because I don’t agree with someone on everything doesn’t mean that I’m not going to be friends with them,” adds DeGeneres. “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.’ It doesn’t matter.”
Watch Ellen DeGeneres sound off on the George W. Bush controversy in the clip above. To find the exact time and channel of Ellen in your area, click here.
