On Sunday, Ellen DeGeneres received criticism after she was seen sitting next to former President George W. Bush in a suite at the Dallas Cowboys game, and the comedian shared a response with a call for kindness on her talk show on Tuesday. Several celebrities supported DeGeneres’ message, including Reese Witherspoon, who later took down her tweet after receiving backlash of her own from her followers. On Thursday, the actor shared her first Instagram post since the mini controversy, posting a photo of herself and son Tennessee sharing a sweet moment on a sunny porch.
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“The best gig I ever landed! #momlife,” she wrote.
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On Oct. 8, Witherspoon shared DeGeneres’ response on Twitter and added, “Thank you for this important reminder, Ellen!” After receiving numerous messages criticizing her stance, the mom-of-three later deleted her tweet.
Witherspoon wasn’t the only celebrity to support DeGeneres, with Jennifer Garner, Jamie Foxx, Kristen Bell, Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton and more applauding her words.
“During the game, they showed a shot of George and me laughing together, so people were upset,” DeGeneres said during her show. “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.”
“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 continued. “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.”
The host also received criticism from A-list stars including Susan Sarandon and Mark Ruffalo, the latter of whom tweeted, “Sorry, until George W. Bush is brought to justice for the crimes of the Iraq War, (including American-lead torture, Iraqi deaths & displacement, and the deep scars—emotional & otherwise—inflicted on our military that served his folly), we can’t even begin to talk about kindness.”
Photo Credit: Getty / Christopher Polk
