George W. Bush's philosophy about comedy means he was never bothered by Will Ferrell's impression of him on "Saturday Night Live" during his presidency.
"I love humor," the 43rd president said on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on Thursday. "And the best humor is when you make fun of yourself."
"Tell that to the president,'' Kimmel replied.
While President Donald Trump has made it clear he's not a fan of Alec Baldwin's impression of him or of "SNL" in general, Bush had no issues with Ferrell's imitation. He just had a minor quibble that he expressed to the show's creator.
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"I had dinner with Lorne Michaels, the head of 'Saturday Night Live,'" Bush said. "And he said, 'I put a great speechwriter on you, and he came up with "strategery."' And I said, 'Wait a minute, I said "strategery."' And he said, 'No, you didn’t say "strategery."' I said, 'I damn sure said "strategery."' H
e said, 'We invented it.' I said, 'Well, let me ask you this: Did he come up with "misunderestimate"?'"
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Bush admittedly did not watch much television during his presidency.
"You've got a lot to do (as president),'' he said. "You're busy."
While he thought Ferrell's imitation was funny, it wasn't his favorite.
He cited the late comedian Steve Bridges as the best. The two once came out together at the annual dinner put on by the White House Correspondents' Association — to plenty of laughter.
In promoting his new book, "Portraits of Courage," Bush has shown the ability to poke fun at himself. He even joked about his "Mission Accomplished" gaffe in 2003 during the war in Iraq while talking with Kimmel about the Oscars' screw-up with the best picture award.
Bush also was good-naturedly teased by Ellen DeGeneres on her show Wednesday for his inability to put on a rain poncho in the stands on Inauguration Day, which became an enduring image on the internet.
"There's, there's...have you put one on?'' she asked as pictures of Bush fumbling with it flashed on screen. "Is that the first time?"
"It looks like it, that's for sure,'' Bush joked.
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