Former first lady Michelle Obama spoke out about her relationship with former President George W. Bush, defending the long-standing friendship.

Obama made the remarks during an interview with the former president's daughter, Jenna Bush. The interview aired Tuesday on NBC's "Today."

What are the details?

During the interview, Jenna Bush asked Obama for her thoughts on the controversy that ensued after comedienne Ellen DeGeneres was photographed laughing with President Bush during a Dallas Cowboys football game in October.

A wide variety of social media users condemned DeGeneres for her close ties and easy camaraderie with the former president. The popular TV show host hit back at critics, insisting that the criticism was both unfounded and unfair.

DeGeneres spoke out in defense of her friendship after the October football game.

"People were upset, they thought why is a gay Hollywood liberal sitting next to a conservative Republican president," DeGeneres explained. "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. We're all different, and I think we've forgotten that that's OK that we're all different."

Bush asked Obama: "I think you're friends with both Ellen and my dad, and they sat next to each other which caused some sort of online backlash. Your husband recently talked about the dangers of cancel culture. What do you say to people that want to be closer with each other?"



Obama told Bush that while she disagrees with some of the former president's policies, she is also very close with the Bush family and insisted that their "values are the same."

"I had the opportunity to sit by your father at funerals, the highs and the lows, and we shared stories about our kids and about our parents," Obama said. "Our values are the same, we disagree on policy. But we don't disagree on humanity. We don't disagree about love and compassion. I think that's true for all of us. It's just that we get lost in our fear of what's different."