Ellen DeGeneres on George W Bush: "I’m friends with a lot of people who don’t share the same beliefs"

"We’re all different and I think that we’ve forgotten that that’s okay.”

Ellen DeGeneres as defended her friendship with George W Bush. Source: Getty Images

Ellen DeGeneres has polarised members of the LGBTIQ+ community by commenting openly about her personal friendship with former US president George W Bush.

While some say that Ellen's ability to reach across the political aisle is 'what makes America great', others have described the friendship as 'irresponsible and dangerous' - citing Bush's political history, which includes a decisive opposition to same-sex marriage and pivotal role in starting the war in Iraq.

It all began when DeGeneres was filmed sitting beside and laughing with the former president at an NFL game.

"During the game they showed a shot of George and me laughing together and so people were upset,” the TV personality explained on her daytime talk show, in a segment which was later shared on social media.

“They thought why is a gay Hollywood Liberal sitting next to a conservative Republican president?”

She continued: “A lot of people were mad, and they did what people do when they’re mad, they tweet,” she continued. DeGeneres then showed a tweet she said she loved: “Ellen and George Bush together makes me have faith in America again.”

Despite facing a barrage of criticism, DeGeneres defended the unlikely friendship, saying her traditional sign-off 'be kind to one another' still applies to those who hold different political beliefs.

“I’m friends with George Bush,” she said .

“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 that’s okay.”

DeGeneres has long used her platform to promote political messages. In 2004 she featured in a 'Vote or Die' campaign encouraging US voters to hit the polls. In 2017 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from then-President Barack Obama for her role in pushing for greater LGBTIQ+ representation in the US.

It's not the first time a friendship with Bush has caused a stir among the political left. Michelle Obama also shares a well-documented close friendship with the controversial former president.

"President Bush and I, we are forever seatmates because of protocol. That's how we sit at all the official functions. So he is my partner in crime at every major thing where all the formers gather," Obama said on the TODAY show in 2018.

"So we're together all the time, and I love him to death. He's a wonderful man. He's a funny man."