Ellen DeGeneres was seen sitting next to former President George W. Bush at the NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, and although the Packers won 34-24, many were focused on who she was friends with.
On Twitter, a number of people were critical of the daytime talk show host, whose wife, Portia de Rossi, was also at the game, as was former first lady Laura Bush.
DeGeneres addressed the response on her show Monday with her own brand of humor and focus on kindness.
"So Portia and I were invited by Charlotte Jones," she said. "She's the daughter of Jerry Jones who owns the Dallas Cowboys. And we went because we wanted to keep up with the Joneses," she joked.
“When we were invited, I was aware I was gonna be surrounded by people from very different views and beliefs and I’m not talking politics. I was rooting for the Packers and — get this — everyone in the Cowboys suite was rooting for the Cowboys,” DeGeneres said, adding that she's friends with Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers.
“During the game, they showed a shot of George and me laughing together, so people were upset. 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,” she joked.
"A lot of people were mad. And they did what people do when they're mad... they tweet."
Rather than focus on the negative tweets, the 61-year-old noted a tweet that said, "Ellen and George Bush together makes me have faith in America again."
DeGeneres added that she wishes people wouldn't wear fur, but she has friends who do.
“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," she said.
"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. "When I say, 'Be kind to one another,' I don't only mean the people that think the same way that you do. I mean be kind to everyone."
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