Ellen stands up to Twitter mob, defends sitting with former President Bush
Instead of bowing to pressure, the daytime TV host takes on her critics; reaction on 'The Five.'
"The View" liberal co-host Joy Behar criticized Ellen DeGeneres' defense of her appearance with former President George W. Bush, claiming she doesn't see herself "hanging with Donald Trump."
The discussion began when host Abby Huntsman agreed with DeGeneres about embracing those you "disagree" with, something Behar said she doesn't agree with "100 percent."
"I always said I didn't want to get to know George W. Bush because I knew I would like him. I knew I would because he seems like a likable kind of guy," Behar said. "But if you lost a child in Iraq then you don't like him so much. And I don't see myself hanging out with Donald Trump anytime in this lifetime."
"So it's not only about disagreeing with somebody, which I certainly understand ... It's more than that," she said.
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Behar's colleague Sunny Hostin agreed, invoking Bush's stance on marriage equality as president.
"When you think about the position that he took on gay marriage when he was in power and had the power to do something," Hostin explained. "In 2004, when he was in a position to do something about it, he pushed for a constitutional amendment to make sure that marriage was defined as between a man and a woman."
"I think when you're a woman like Ellen – she continued – and you came out and changed the lives of so many people in the LGBTQ community, I can understand why there were people that were put off by seeing her doing that."
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On Monday, DeGeneres addressed the backlash she received after appearing alongside Bush at last weekend's Dallas Cowboys game.
"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," DeGeneres continued. "We're all different and I think that we've forgotten that that's okay that we're all different... but just because I don't agree with someone on everything doesn't mean that I'm not going to be friends with them."
"When I say, 'Be kind to one another,' I don't mean only the people that think the same way that you do. I mean be kind to everyone. Doesn't matter."
Bush said he "appreciated" friend DeGeneres' comments. Bush's spokesman, Freddy Ford, told Fox News exclusively on Tuesday: "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. "
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