One of Ellen DeGeneres’ most vocal critics has pointed out that, years before she hung out with former President George W. Bush, the comedian acted friendly with one Donald J. Trump.
Related: George W. Bush responds to Ellen DeGeneres’ comments
According to a 2006 People profile of Donald and Melania’s “Billion-Dollar Boy,” Barron Trump, DeGeneres gave the future President and First Lady a gilded stroller:
“In the Trumps’ $100 million triplex penthouse, gifts from friends — including a golden stroller complete with its own chandelier (courtesy of Ellen DeGeneres) and gazillions of onesies — greeted Barron’s arrival. ‘It’s fun,’ says Melania of the stroller. ‘It makes you laugh.’”
"Trumps’ $100 million triplex penthouse, gifts from friends – including a golden stroller complete with its own chandelier (courtesy of Ellen DeGeneres) and gazillions of onesies – greeted Barron’s arrival. “It’s fun,” says Melania of the stroller. “It makes you laugh.” – People pic.twitter.com/3zJrT59ov1
— Rafael Shimunov (@rafaelshimunov) October 15, 2019
DeGeneres stoked outrage this month by yukking it up with Bush at a Dallas Cowboys-Green Bay Packers game on October 6. A couple of days later, she defended herself on her self-named talk show, saying, “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. We’re all different. And I think we’ve forgotten that that’s OK that we’re all different. … When I say be kind to one another, I don’t mean only the people that think the same way as you do. I mean be kind to everyone.”
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bnI6bvVGSA
But her justification didn’t sit well those who remembered Bush’s anti-LGBTQ politics and his role in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even other Hollywood celebs decried DeGeneres’ stance. “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,” Mark Ruffalo tweeted.
Related: Ellen’s radio silence on the Drew Brees antigay scandal is deafening
Tech creative Rafael Shimunov created a satirical version of DeGeneres’ on-air monologue, superimposing images of the Iraq War on the Ellen set’s backdrop. He later crafted another version, this one showing scenes of devastation in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
As Ellen DeGeneres Show continues to submit false copyright claims on legally protected satire in order to stop my viral video about her friendship with GW Bush, please do share the Youtube version (and find me on Facebook for that version too).https://t.co/jl2xeNanUg
— Rafael Shimunov (@rafaelshimunov) October 9, 2019
And on October 14, he posted the People quote about DeGeneres’ stroller gift. “Grotesque,” one commenter wrote. Another added, “Gross.”
For what it’s worth, DeGeneres seems not to be friendly with Trump these days. In 2017, she revealed on Today that she would never host the current POTUS on her talk show. “No, because I’m not going to change his mind,” she said. “He’s against everything that I stand for. We need to look at someone else who looks different than us and believes in something that we don’t believe in and still accept them and still let them have their rights.”
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Brian
I don’t get the point of this. Are we now mad at Ellen because she didn’t psychically foresee what Trump would be doing 10 years later? Do we need to start combing the cast list of The Apprentice and start burning people in effigy?
DarkZephyr
I’m with you on this for a change. I am really about done with Queerty and a-holes like this Rafael character relentlessly trying to cancel Ellen over her friendship with Bush despite the years of amazing things she’s done for the LGBT community and other people.
Brian
Yesterday Cam agreed with me and today you do? I think that’s a sign that the apocalypse is nigh.
Heywood Jablowme
LOL – Keep in mind that Hillary (and Bill) attended Donald and Melania’s wedding.
Catholicslutbox
She’s done good and she’s done bad… she donates to charities, but which celeb doesn’t? gotta get those deductions.
She honestly keep doing and saying this that your stereotypical “straight white male” would say and do- guess that’s how she views herself. No, that’s not a good thing.
Brian
Kathy Griffin and Liza Minnelli were both on The Apprentice too.
glennmcbride
All of us at one time or another have said and done things that we now cringe when we think about them. I like Ellen, I think she is funny and a good role model. If I had had a role model like her growing up, a lot of things would have been different. Do I like her being “friends” with Bush or giving Trump a baby stroller. Not really, but it is none of my business.
Eldred
I’m so sick of Queerty trying to tell me what I should be outraged about.
Cam
Except you’re a brand new screename
truthseeker
Will the resident boycott supporters on here now demand that Ellen be canceled?
The same people who said to boycott Equinox, Planet Fitness, Bang energy, and others. Inquiring minds would like to know
Gandalf The Grey
What a great idea truthseeker! Let’s get Ellen cancelled!
Vince
Yes. If Ellen was caught sending $ to right wing politicians who want to strip other of their rights then yes I’d support her cancellation. However, that’s not what happened. Nice try though.
MikeM
I don’t care if she did or not. Never been a fan of her talk show but really liked her sitcoms. She does fancy herself the arbiter of the gay world and she’s far from it. Kevin Hart doesn’t get a pass. I don’t expect her to treat George Bush rudely, though. That’s just bad manners.
Aj76
You guys are missing the point here….this is not about Queerty telling you what you should be outraged about or how to think…..
Aren’t you mature enough to think for yourselves regardless of what any media outlet publishes ?!
We are in a day & age where we can’t make any excuses…..
All the information regarding the world we live in is at our fingertips……we can read articles but we don’t have to believe the story irrelevant who & what it’s about….
In this case I think Queerty make a very valid point & a have posted a very important article……it’s not rocket science…..
Why the hell would she turn against Trump ?
Obviously as I understand it is that it’s because of his policies & what he believes is right or wrong (pretty much in a nut shell)…..which I agree with her…….but why & how can you be friends with a man who’s policies & decisions tipped a country upside with hundreds of thousands of people dead…..I can go on & on…….
That’s also not to mention the arguments that September 11 wasn’t exactly what we have been told & shown (not that I believe it but just saying)……
He should be charged for the Iraq issue at the least……
I can understand being friends with anyone who is different 100%……
I’m friends with straight people & I’m gay…..I’m friends with non Christians & was brought up with Christian beliefs……I’m friends with many people who appose to my political views weather internationally or domestically…….I’m friends with people who love chocolate ice cream & I happen to prefer vanilla ice cream…….
But I will never justify a friendship where that person has committed atrocities that have left hundreds of thousands people dead…..
So if we can be friends with people who are different in every way then why won’t Ellen put her differences aside when it comes to Trump ???
Because the sad reality is that everything is about power & money……not about human rights (weather it be gay,straight or colour)…..
We are just puppets in this world & the handful that have the power & wealth around the world control what they want us & need us to believe……
They might give us marriage rights in some places around the world to shut us up so that we think they care ……or they might give some women around the world some extra rights to what they have etc etc…..
If they really wanted to make a major difference in the world, they would make massive drastic changes but they won’t ……
They make minor ones just so the masses go quiet for a little while & it also gets the masses thinking “awesome” changes in our favour are happening……
It’s all political…..& powerful names like Ellen & the like are all in on it…..because politicians know that the masses tend to believe,listen & trust celebrities more than what they would trust them……
I know I have said a bit too much but I really hope you guys understand what I’m trying to say……the world is so corrupt & the poor average joe can’t do anything about it.
Brian
You only need one period at the end of a sentence. Even Donald Trump knows that.
And no, this is the furthest thing from an important article. This is idiocy.
glennmcbride
I’ll trade you a few of those extra periods for a couple of commas.
Aj76
My apologies Brian ………
I did the same mistake again…….
But we can still be friends I’m assuming.
Heywood Jablowme
Do you think that golden stroller could be retrofitted to carry 239 pounds? Could come in handy when Trump loses what’s left of his mind and starts drooling uncontrollably.
NateOcean
I mis-read that headline as Ellen gave “Trump a golden shower”.
Since Trump was involved, this seemed completely reasonable.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
You win the internets today!!
:-p
gavo92
CANCEL HER!!! KILL HER!!!!!!!!! BURN HER!! RAWR!!!!!!!!!!!
amillerut
As usual, Ellen is spot on. There are two sides to the GWB presidency. There are two sides to the Bill Clinton presidency. There are even two sides to the Barack Obama presidency. Do I spew hate and venom about any of these men just because I disagree with their politics? (and all this outrage about Ellen is nothing but politics).
You change hearts and minds by sharing ideas though respectful discussion, compassion and maybe even a little love. You don’t make the world better with the blind vitriol that these haters throw around whenever someone says or does something they disagree with.
Cam
If Bush had run his campaign saying that Asian people shouldn’t be allowed to adopt, black people shouldn’t be allowed to marry, or women shouldn’t vote, nobody would be saying to those groups. “Awww, be kind”.
But it’s LGBT people, so it is demanded that we not every express irritation with any violent bigotry aimed at us.
Be kind simply means “Shut up and stop complaining”
Cam
“When I say be kind to one another, I don’t mean only the people that think the same way as you do. I mean be kind to everyone.”
————————
Translation: Shut up, never hold bigots responsible, their bigotry is simply an opinion, just like you preferring strawberry ice cream over vanilla. It is this attitude that has allowed racists and bigots to grow so much bolder recently.
JaredMacBride
As usual, Cam, your bigotry equals or exceeds that of the people you condemn. Why do you think anyone will pay attention to you when you’re a one trick pony who does nothing but spew invective.
Cam
@JaredMacBride
It’s adorable when the right wing troll accounts scream that victims of bigotry identifying bigots makes THEM bigots. LOL
Sweetie, please, by ALL means identify exactly which group I am being bigoted to and how I am doing that. But we get it, if you scream loud enough, you’re hoping people will stop calling out anti-LGBT bigots for what they are.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Those associating prior to the 2016 election can somewhat be excused..
However…
The orange puppet made a Faustian bargain with the right wing Evangelical nutbag abhorrent smcubags. For their unwavering support they gave a list of demands top of which was to anhilate every bit of progress our community has made in the past 20 years. Prior to that it was not a virulent homophobe….
djmcgamester
I suspect Ellen is more of a Libertarian rather than a Liberal. That would allow her to make inroads with Democrats and Republicans. She’s open to dialogue rather than shutting it down for continued divisiveness. I don’t like the way politics are playing out today. Trump is not the cause of the problems today. He’s the result of what’s been going on. I don’t like him. I also don’t like any of the Democratic candidates running (except maybe Tulsi Gabbard but she’ll never get the nomination). It leaves me in a strange place where I want us to actually have conversations to find common ground but most people are opposed.
Anecdote: My father has always been conservative, always voted Republican. I came out. He told me he loved me and – in 1992 – showed me how to find my way to a gay social/support group. That was long before online or mobile maps. He embraced me fully and invited anyone I dated into the home.
Fast forward to the other night at dinner. Somehow the movie “Boys Don’t Cry” came up. My brother (also conservative, also pro-LGBT+) had never heard of it. My father described it as a movie about a young girl becoming a boy and how it was a really good movie.
What’s the point here? Everything isn’t black and white. Find the common ground.