Reese Witherspoon Weighs in on the Ellen DeGeneres, George W. Bush Cowboys Game Controversy

Reese Witherspoon is siding with longtime friend Ellen DeGeneres after the talk show host was slammed for her friendship with former President George W. Bush following a photo that went viral of the two sitting next to one another at a Cowboys game over the weekend. Critics have been calling out DeGeneres, a gay woman, for befriending someone who held anti-LGBT stances throughout his presidency and has been called a “war criminal” following his actions in the Iraq War.

After DeGeneres said on Tuesday’s episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show that she had no problem being friends with people “who don’t share the same beliefs” she has, Witherspoon took to Twitter to cheer her on.

“Thank you for this important reminder, Ellen!” the Big Little Lies actress wrote on Twitter, adding a quote from DeGeneres’ address on the matter.

DeGeneres said of the scandal, “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?’ … But a lot of people were mad, and they did what people do when they’re mad: They tweet.”

She continued, “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 we’re all different. For instance, I wish people wouldn’t wear fur. I don’t like it, but I’m friends with people who wear fur and I’m friends with people who are furry, as a matter of fact.”

“But just because I don’t agree with someone on everything doesn’t mean I’m not gonna be friends with them,” DeGeneres added. “When I say ‘be kind to one another,’ I don’t mean only the people that think the same way you do. I mean be kind to everyone. It doesn’t matter.”

With Witherspoon coming down on the comedian’s side of the issue, Twitter took up an issue with the Legally Blonde actress as well, calling her out for failing to recognize their bigger problems with Bush.