Michelle Obama defends Ellen DeGeneres over George W. Bush friendship
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former First Lady Michelle Obama is speaking out about Ellen DeGeneres' heavily criticized friendship with former President George W. Bush.
In October, DeGeneres, 61, received backlash after beeing seen laughing with Bush, 73, at a Dallas Cowboys game. Fans felt that DeGeneres spending time with Bush betrayed her liberal values.
In an interview with Jenna Bush Hager on "Today," Obama discussed the backlash and compared the relationship to her own with the former commander in chief.
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“I had the opportunity to sit by your father at funerals, the highs and the lows and we shared stories about our kids and about our parents. Our values are the same,” said Obama when asked about DeGeneres. “We disagreed on policy, but we don’t disagree on humanity. We don’t disagree about love and compassion. I think that’s true for all of us, it’s just that we get lost in our fear of what’s different.”
Obama and Bush were the subjects of a viral moment just over a year ago when the former president was seen handing a cough drop to Obama at the late Sen. John McCain's funeral.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}As is standard, Obama and Bush sit next to each other at such events, and Obama has called him her "partner in crime" for events such as speeches and funerals.
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"I love him to death. He's a wonderful man. He's a funny man," Obama previously told "Today."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DeGeneres also addressed the controversy on her show in October, encouraging fans to see beyond politics.
"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," the "Finding Dory" star had said. "We're all different, and I think that we've forgotten that that's OK that we're all different."
In a statement to Fox News at the time, Bush's spokesperson, Freddy Ford, expressed his gratitude for the comedienne.
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"President and Mrs. Bush really enjoyed being with Ellen and Portia [de Rossi] and appreciated Ellen’s comments about respecting one another. They respect her," Ford said.