DeGeneres and the former Republican president were caught on camera having a laugh while seated side by side in Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ private suite with their wives Laura Bush and Portia de Rossi sitting on either side.


Twitter users were surprised at the unusual seating arrangement, and some were angry to see, as DeGeneres put it, “a gay Hollywood liberal sitting next to a conservative Republican president.”

DeGeneres, 61, addressed the event, which sent Twitter into a tizzy the next day, pointing out that it’s a good thing when two people of different backgrounds can be friendly.

After explaining that she and wife Portia de Rossi had been invited to the game by Charlotte Jones, daughter of the Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones, DeGeneres said, “during the game, they showed a shot of me and George laughing together, and so people were upset.”

“They thought, why is a gay Hollywood liberal sitting next to a conservative Republican president,” she said, joking that they “didn’t even notice I’m holding the brand-new iPhone 11” in the shot. “But a lot of people were mad, and they did what people do when they’re mad: they tweet.”

Instead of sharing the less savory comments, DeGeneres shared a positive tweet she says that she “loved,” which said, “Ellen and George Bush together makes me have faith in America again.”

To that, DeGeneres said, “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” (Bush, 73, was a guest on DeGeneres’ talk show in 2017).

WATCH:

Ellen DeGeneres Defends Sitting With George W Bush At NFL Game 1

 

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