--- title: Tom Hanks on Bush Dead Bird description: During a recent podcast appearance, Tom Hanks shared an intriguing story about a White House visit where George W. Bush threw a dead bird. canonical: https://time.com/4718729/tom-hanks-on-bush-dead-bird/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-03-30T16:56:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:34.099Z og:title: Tom Hanks Remembers When George W. Bush Threw a Dead Bird og:description: "He picks up the bird with his bare hands..." og:url: https://time.com/4718729/tom-hanks-on-bush-dead-bird/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc0314bb37551af20/6988c09aab6d778e976ad6aa/tom-hanks-george-w-bush-dead-bird-story.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: An Unforgettable Evening - Arrivals og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Tom Hanks Remembers When George W. Bush Threw a Dead Bird twitter:description: "He picks up the bird with his bare hands..." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc0314bb37551af20/6988c09aab6d778e976ad6aa/tom-hanks-george-w-bush-dead-bird-story.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Tom Hanks' Favorite White House Memory Involves George W. Bush Throwing a Dead Bird > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=a03de6c2-fb29-4e79-9c2a-dcd5f75d08f6&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Watch Tom Hanks Crash A Wedding Photo Shoot In Central Park [Watch (HLS stream): Watch Tom Hanks Crash A Wedding Photo Shoot In Central Park](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/GRVSovAx.m3u8) (1:18)  _Published 2016-09-27. The Sully star crashed a wedding photo shoot in Central Park Sunday, pausing mid-jog to congratulate the couple._  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Mar 30, 2017 4:56 PM UTC  BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 16: Actor Tom Hanks attends An Unforgettable Evening at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on February 16, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic) BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 16: Actor Tom Hanks attends An Unforgettable Evening at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on February 16, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic) Jason LaVeris—FilmMagic  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Mar 30, 2017 4:56 PM UTC In addition to being the [ultimate wedding crasher](http://time.com/4507954/tom-hanks-wedding-photo-shoot/) and a [staunch Twitter enthusiast](http://time.com/4713734/tom-hanks-woody-harrelson-twitter/), [Tom Hanks ](http://time.com/4485202/watch-sully-the-hudson-river-airline-pilot-star-as-tom-hanks-in-the-movie-of-his-life/)also has the White House anecdote to top all others. In a truly delightful appearance on Phoebe Robinson’s WNYC podcast [_Soo Many White Guys_](http://www.wnyc.org/story/23-phoebe-and-tom-hanks-make-biopic/), Hanks shared that his favorite White House memory involved former president George W. Bush and a dead bird. According to Hanks, he and his wife Rita Wilson were at the White House for the dedication of the WWII Memorial, which [happened in 2004](https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/ww2/), where they ran into Bush who was in his workout clothes, en route to the gym. After meeting the Hanks, Bush decided to give them an impromptu personal tour of the White House, including the Rose Garden where they encountered an unfortunate surprise. “I swear to God, there was a dead black bird laying in the grass,” Hanks said. “He picks up the bird with his bare hands, and says ‘That’s a shame…we get these all the time in the ranch’… threw the black bird in the bushes.” With a story like that, it’s not hard to imagine why it remains Hanks’ favorite White House memory. ## Transcript [ UNKNOWN ] Can we get a picture with you? Can we get a photo? By all means. I am going to do that right here. What's your name? Elizabeth. My daughter's name. What's your name? Ryan. Ryan you're a lucky man. Elizabeth you You've done well for yourself, and I'm going to have to post this myself. We have extra seats. There's plenty of alcohol. [ LAUGH ] I have a dinner engagement [ UNKNOWN ]. [ LAUGH ] You know I am an ordained minister, if the guy cancels, just let me know. [ LAUGH ] [ UNKNOWN ] How long have you guys been engaged? We're getting selfie [ LAUGH ], OK we're getting good, so that's a good aim. [ INAUDIBLE ], Congratulations Thank You. All right, Bye Bye [ LAUGH ] [ APPLAUSE ] Get down here with me. Get around here. Here we go, here's the wedding in a few years. There you go. Good luck to you. Wedding's over guys. We just peaked. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4718729/tom-hanks-on-bush-dead-bird/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4718729/tom-hanks-on-bush-dead-bird/"},"headline":"Tom Hanks' Favorite White House Memory Involves George W. 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