Ellen DeGeneres watched the Dallas Cowboys with George W Bush. (Screen capture via Twitter)

People are mad at Ellen DeGeneres after she was photographed joking around with ex-president George W Bush.

DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi were filmed exchanging words with the Republican and former first lady Laura Bush in the VIP stand at Sunday’s NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers.

The TV comedian appeared to be sharing a joke with Bush, who chuckled as she read a message from her phone.

The clip went down badly online, with people angry at DeGeneres for being civil with Bush, given his anti-LGBT+ politics.

As president, Bush made a failed push for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex couples from marrying, and spent eight years defending the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy that banned gay people from serving in the armed forces.

Ellen DeGeneres under fire for hanging out with George W Bush.

Parker Molloy of Media Matters blasted the comedian, writing: “Just Ellen DeGeneres hanging out with her buddy George W. Bush, taking in a football game.

“I feel like you shouldn’t need a flow chart to help you decide whether to go to a game as a war criminal’s guest.

“There’s ‘hey, it took such and such politician a long time to come around on this’ and then there’s ‘HEY, WE NEED TO AMEND THE CONSTITUTION TO EXPLICITLY DENY YOU RIGHTS.’

“Anyway, bold choice for @TheEllenShow to hang out with GWB 2 days before SCOTUS (which now includes his former staff secretary Kavanaugh) will hear a case about whether it will be legal to discriminate against LGBTQ people in employment.”

Some Twitter users swiftly branded DeGeneres “trash” for sitting next to Bush, while others pointed out that DeGeneres was not the “guest” of Bush at the event, but were seated next to each other in the VIP stand as guests of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

George W Bush ‘tried to take away her rights’.

One response claimed: “Ellen is charismatic & funny but let’s not pretend she would gotten to where she is if she had been an activist for the LGBTQ community. Straight people like her because she’s not ‘shoving it down our throats’ & she ‘loves everyone’ 🙄”

Ellen is charismatic & funny but let's not pretend she would gotten to where she is if she had been an activist for the LGBTQ community. Straight people like her because she's not "shoving it down our throats" & she "loves everyone" 🙄 https://t.co/6GD2qWRwXo — Alecia Pawloski (@lec_mae) October 7, 2019

If you told me George Bush would be sitting next to Ellen DeGeneres at a Cowboys game, I'd ask how long I've been in a coma. — Matt Johnson (@VivaMattyVegas) October 6, 2019

President George Bush @GeorgeWBush and Ellen Degeneres @TheEllenShow are sitting together at the Packers & Cowboys game. This shouldn’t trigger you. This should give you hope for our future. ✌🏽 — BAM (@swimbrave) October 6, 2019

Another added: “I’d been thinking recently about how the anti-same sex marriage movement of the mid aughts is one of the few political events that the vast majority of Americans now agree was a mistake, but also how pretty much no one who led that movement has publicly said they made a mistake.

“Does GWB think that his seat buddy’s marriage violates America’s founding values? Does he think there should be a constitutional amendment banning marriages like hers?

“If he’s changed his mind on these views he expressed QUITE strongly 15 years ago I think America should know!”

Does GWB think that his seat buddy's marriage violates America's founding values? Does he think there should be a constitutional amendment banning marriages like hers? If he's changed his mind on these views he expressed QUITE strongly 15 years ago I think America should know! — Jon, but spooooooky (@JonIsAwesomest) October 6, 2019

Others predicted that even raising the question of whether LGBT people should be friends with homophobes would generate an inevitable days-long media storm about free speech.

The viral response suggested: “This is going to turn into a few days of people saying ‘what the f**k?’ and a lot of LGBTQ people being justifiably and reasonably pissed at her for chatting it up with a guy who was literally about to change the constitution to deny her rights.

“During all of this you’re going to see a filler report on Inside Edition where they act like everyone is making too big of a deal from the gigantic weirdness and hypocrisy going on.

“You’re going to see other (mostly white, always straight) talk show hosts jump to her defence.

This is going to turn into a few days of people saying "what the fuck?" and a lot of LGBTQ people being justifiably and reasonably pissed at her for chatting it up with a guy who was literally about to change the constitution to deny her rights. https://t.co/qNVxa6CkGV — T1theinfamous (@T1theinfamous) October 7, 2019

And this is going to end with Ellen having a heavily edited tearful monologue where she's the victim in this and we should all try to get along with people who have different views, which will then be followed by more filler reports on Inside Edition about how brave she is. — T1theinfamous (@T1theinfamous) October 7, 2019

“This is going to end with Ellen having a heavily edited tearful monologue where she’s the victim in this and we should all try to get along with people who have different views, which will then be followed by more filler reports on Inside Edition about how brave she is.”