Elton John is the latest celebrity to defend Ellen DeGeneres’ friendship with former president George W. Bush, joining Reese Witherspoon and Kristen Bell who also stood by the talk show host.
When asked about the situation in an interview with NPR while promoting his forthcoming autobiography Me on Sunday, John said, “I admire Ellen for standing up and saying what she said. George Bush has made a lot of mistakes. I made a lot of mistakes. Ellen DeGeneres has made a lot of mistakes. People need to come together […] They need to respect people’s view on life. Except when it’s heresy, and I don’t think George Bush is that kind of guy.”
“Here’s the thing: I’m friends with George Bush,” DeGeneres said on her show earlier this week following the uproar after she and Bush sat next to each other at a Dallas Cowboys game. “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.”
The “Your Song” musician also appeared on Sunday’s CBS This Morning to discuss Me with correspondent Tracy Smith.
With his autobiography, which covers everything from his difficult childhood to his road to sobriety, John wanted his sons to know what he was like throughout his life “so that when I’m not here they can read the book and read the truth.”
“I just want them to understand what I went through, the journey that I had before I had them,” John told Smith. “How they made my life complete. How they’ve, you know, finished the circle. And that, you know, they were the last chapter on an incredible life. Maybe not the last chapter, but the best chapter.”
Me is due October 15th. Taron Egerton, who portrayed John in the 2019 biopic Rocketman, will read the audiobook.