Ellen DeGeneres defends sitting with 'friend' George W. Bush for Cowboys game after social media backlash
Ellen DeGeneres and former president George W Bush were seen sitting next to each other while at the Dallas Cowboys game on October 6. Social media users could not contain their shock at seeing the unlikely duo together. As reported by USA Today, the pair were seen sitting in a private suite that was reportedly owned by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Bush's wife Laura and DeGeneres' wife Portia de Rossi were also seen at the event.
Pictures show Bush and DeGeneres chatting and laughing together while they watched the Cowboys lose to the Green Bay Packers. They were also seen briefly on the Fox broadcast of the game. Not too long after the broadcast, many social media users took to uploading posts that voiced their opinions on the unlikely pair hanging out and there was a major backlash.
Ellen DeGeneres took to Twitter to defend herself and the former president. "People were upset", she said. "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."She continued that she is friends with Bush and is friends with a lot of people who don't share the same beliefs as she does. "Just because I don't agree with someone on everything doesn't mean that I'm not going to be friends with them", she said. She concluded by thanking Jerry Jones as well as George and Laura Bush for a "Sunday afternoon that was so fun." However, she did add that they owed her $6 for nachos.
ESPN commentator Clinton Yates took to Twitter to say, "Ellen sitting next to Dubya definitely qualified as a Sunday shocker." Another user added, "Name a more weird couple." A few other people made jokes about how they would happily watch a sitcom that featured Bush and DeGeneres.
One user shared, "George W. Bush cracking jokes with Ellen at the #GBvsDAL game is the best thing to happen this year." There were many people who were not at all pleased about DeGeneres sitting with Bush. According to journalist Aaron Rupar, "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."
Other social media users further added that it was not a good look for Ellen or her talk show, 'TheEllenShow.' Writer and activist Parker Molloy took to Twitter to share that DeGeneres' decision to sit next to Bush 'a bold choice.'
DeGeneres concluded by thanking Jerry Jones as well as George and Laura Bush for a "Sunday afternoon that was so fun". However, she did add that they owed her 6 dollars for nachos.