Jennifer Garner Calls Ellen DeGeneres 'Amazing' for George W. Bush Controversy Response
Jennifer Garner is joining the growing list of celebrities coming to Ellen DeGeneres’ support [...]
Jennifer Garner is joining the growing list of celebrities coming to Ellen DeGeneres' support after the talk show host was spotted chatting it up with former President George W. Bush at the Dallas Cowboys game on Sunday. After the now-viral image enraged much of social media, DeGeneres on Tuesday addressed the backlash, stating that she has no issue being friends with people "who don't share the same beliefs" and that she chooses to live by her motto "be kind to one another."
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"Ellen! You are amazing!" Garner praised DeGeneres in the comment section, though her response drew the ire of plenty of other commenters, many of whom have claimed that celebrities' willingness to come to her defense is a show of class solidarity.
"Disappointed but not surprised. All rich people are the same," one person wrote.
"So when she's sitting at a game with Trump in a few years you'll feel the same way?" another person challenged. "Rich Americans have such a short memory."
"Yes. . Its amazing to be friends with someone who wants to take away your right to marry who you choose. Truly spineless. You rich folk really do stick together," a third responded to Garner's comment.
"Love seeing rich liberals whitewashing the legacy of the guy who killed thousands in Iraq and allowed to drown in New Orleans," commented another.
Another encouraged Garner, along with every other celebrity siding with DeGeneres, to "spend some time understanding us history and that of this insane war monger," claiming that their show of support is "so disrespectful."
Although DeGeneres has explained that the Sunday outing happened by chance, her friendly demeanor with Bush has become a thing of contention. Critics have called out the talk show host, a gay woman, for befriending a former POTUS who held anti-LGBT stances throughout his presidency and has been called a "war criminal" following his actions in the Iraq War.
In a Vanity Fair op-ed titled ""Ellen DeGeneres, George W. Bush and the Limits of Unconditional Kindness," journalist Laura Bradley argued that DeGeneres was "aid[ing] Bush's post-presidency rebrand," and that she is not the only celebrity to do so.
Many on social media have held a similar view, claiming that the willingness of celebrities to overlook Bush's past is a show of class solidarity and elitism, with one writing, "look at all these celebs pandering to their own."