Hollywood celebrities are clashing over Ellen DeGeneres’ plea for bipartisan kindness — with actresses Reese Witherspoon and Kristen Bell praising the talk show host, while stars Mark Ruffalo and Susan Sarandon slammed her friendship with former President George W. Bush.
Ellen DeGeneres came under fire from left-wing journalists after she was photographed socializing with President Bush at a Dallas Cowboys game on Sunday.
The talk-show host refused to apologize, saying there is nothing wrong with being friends with someone who has differing political views.
“I’m friends with a lot of people who don’t share the same beliefs that I have,” DeGeneres explained in a video posted this week. “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,” she continued. “I mean be kind to everyone. Doesn’t matter.”
The post elicited divergent reactions among DeGeneres’ fellow Hollywood celebrities.
Veronica Mars star Kristen Bell posted a glowing tribute to DeGeneres on Instagram but came under almost immediate social media fire for her “privilege.”
One commenter noted, “This takes an insane amount of privilege. Veronica Mars would never.” Another commenter said, “Your queen is getting cozy with a war criminal. I expected better.”
Reese Witherspoon reportedly tweeted in support of DeGeneres but deleted the tweet following public backlash.
“Thank you for this important reminder, Ellen!” the Oscar-winning Walk the Line actress wrote, before the tweet vanished from her account.
“Privilege must be comfortable,” wrote one commenter in response to Witherspoon’s tweet.
Other celebrities have rebuked DeGeneres for her call for civility.
Avengers: Endgame star Mark Ruffalo tweeted his distaste for President Bush and DeGeneres.
“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,” the actor 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. https://t.co/dpMwfck6su
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) October 9, 2019
Susan Sarandon tweeted an article from Out Magazine, which criticized the openly gay DeGeneres for hanging out with “a man repeatedly accused of being a war criminal.” The gay-issues magazine also said the talk show host’s friendship with President Bush “feels disappointing, irresponsible, and dangerous.”
“But missing the point entirely, DeGeneres framed the issue as simply a matter of her hanging out with someone with different opinions, not a man repeatedly accused of being a war criminal.” https://t.co/OCyYEfNRQl
— Susan Sarandon (@SusanSarandon) October 8, 2019
The Oscar-winning Dead Man Walking actress also retweeted a post from the Intercept, which said that President Bush “should be treated as a pariah not because he is a Republican or a conservative, but because he caused the deaths of thousands of innocent people and tortured hundreds of others.”
George W. Bush should be treated as a pariah not because he is a Republican or a conservative, but because he caused the deaths of thousands of innocent people and tortured hundreds of others, writes @mehdirhasan. https://t.co/mga7OJghIQ
— The Intercept (@theintercept) October 10, 2019
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