Photos recently surfaced of Ellen DeGeneres and former President George W. Bush, and people have been talking. Ellen and her wife, Portia de Rossi, went to a Dallas Cowboys game after being invited by the team owner’s daughter, Charlotte Jones. There were many notable people at the game, including George W. Bush. Hence, the photos.

Speculations immediately formed after the photos surfaced, considering Ellen and George’s drastically different political views.

“During the game, they showed a shot of me and George laughing together,” Ellen said. “People were upset. They thought ‘Why is a gay Hollywood liberal sitting next to a conservative Republican president?'”

Ellen shared her response to criticism in a video on her YouTube channel. She wanted to make it clear that although she and George W. Bush have these different opinions when it comes to politics and social issues, that doesn’t mean they can’t be cordial- let alone friends. She addresses the topic, hilariously, of course, and in true Ellen fashion. She included clips from the game so that we could have a clear picture of what went on.

“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 that we’ve forgotten that that’s OK that we’re all different,” she spoke in her video. “Just because I don’t agree with someone on everything doesn’t mean I’m not going to be friends with them. When I say be kind to one another, I don’t mean only the people who think the same way that you do. I mean be kind to everyone. Doesn’t matter.”

Take it from Ellen herself: be kind to people. The world needs more people like her.