Source: Deseret News
Ellen DeGeneres is one of the most famous American comedians widely known for her talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show.?
Who is Ellen DeGeneres?
Born on January 26, 1958, in Metairie, Lousiana, Ellen DeGeneres is an American comedian, talk show host, actress, writer, and producer. Before starting hosting her own talk show in 2003, Ellen DeGeneres was a famous stand-up comedian. During 1997, she declared herself gay and became a staunch advocate of LGBTQ rights. She currently hosts her own talk show, which has won several prestigious awards like People’s Choice Awards and Daytime Emmy Awards.?
| Full Name: | Ellen Lee DeGeneres |
| Nickname: | Ed |
| Best known for: | Stand-up Comedy |
| Date of Birth: | January 26, 1958 |
| Height: | 1.71 meters |
| Age: | 62 years (2020) |
| Birth Place: | Metairie, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Father: | Elliott DeGeneres |
| Mother: | Betty DeGeneres |
| Sibling: | Vance DeGeneres |
| Spouse: | Portia de Rossi |
| Children: | N/A |
| Nationality: | American |
| Profession: | Comedian, Television Producer, Author, and others. |
| Net Worth: | $330 million |
Early Life
Ellen DeGeneres born and grew up in Metairie, Lousiana, where her mother worked as a speech therapist and father, an insurance agent. When she was a teenager, her parents went on to divorce in 1973. At a young age, she dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, but she made a U-turn because she was not too studious. She went through waiting tables, selling vacuum cleaners, painting houses, and later worked as a legal secretary.?
Besides her parent, Ellen DeGeneres also has an elder brother, Vance, a former correspondent for The Daily Show, producer, and musician. In 1981, she started doing stand-up comedy and received lots for her performance.?
Ellen’s Stand-up Comedy Journey
Source: Dead-Frog
When she was 23, Ellen DeGeneres started doing stand-up comedy at a local coffeehouse. 1986 turned out to be the turning point for her career as she got engaged with Jay Leno, who helped her made her acting debut and Johnny Carson, host of The Tonight Show, who sent a booking agent to see her performance at the Improv in Hollywood. With that, she appeared on?The Tonight Show?and became the first female comic to be invited by Johnny Carson.?
After that, DeGeneres’s appearance on various talk shows became normal. She also performed on shows including?The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Later with Greg Kinnear, Larry King Live, and Good Morning Amerca.?She also got featured on ABC’s?PrimeTime Live.
TV Show Journey
Source: People.com
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After stealing audiences’ hearts, she became an accomplished actress and came up with her own prime-time sitcom tv series,?Ellen,?in 1994. Initially, the series title was These Friends of Mine, but it was changed afterward. From the beginning of the series, it evolved and gained a lot of positive critics. And for the first time in the sitcom series’s history, DeGenere openly admitted her homosexuality on air. However, in 1998, Ellen was canceled due to some conflicts despite having stunning success and fantastic support from the audience. Later on, she shared the difficulties faced during that situation.?
In 2003, Ellen DeGeneres came back with a talk show of her own name and garnered huge success with the daytime viewers. The show has been able to win several awards, including a record of 11 Daytime Emmys for a daytime talk show. And she’s still rocking it.?
Movies?
When her show got canceled, Ellen grabbed the opportunity to feature in the big screen, casting in the dark comedy movie?Mr. Wrong (1996),?playing as a woman searching for the perfect match. She also starred in the comedy film?EdTV (1999)?alongside?Matthew McConaughey?and in?If These Walls Could Talk 2 (2000).?
Besides being an actress, she’s also done voice-over for the animated mega-hit movie “Finding Nemo,” where she played as a little adorable blue fish, Dory. After, nominating for two Emmy Awards for her stand-up comedy, she worked on the sequel of the franchise movie, Nemo in 2016.?
Relationship Status
Source: Entertainment Tonight
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, an Australian-American model, and actress got married in 2008. It’s been over a decade of their marriage, and they’re still looking pretty happy standing by each other.?
However, many of their fans still don’t know how they hooked up. Here’s a timeline of their love story.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi met at a party. De Rossi had love at first sight. |
| December 1, 2004 | Both met again at an award show. |
| 2005 | They publicly announced their relationship. |
| August 16, 2008 | Ellen and De Rossi got married following allowance for legalized gay marriage in California. |
| August 2010 | De Rossi Changed her name to Portia Lee James DeGeneres. |
| 2013 | Rumors surrounded the couple about having marital issues, but DeGeneres denied it publicly. |
| February 1, 2018 | De Rossi surprised Ellen for her 60th birthday with a gorilla sanctuary. |
| August 16, 2018 | They celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary. |
| February 13, 2019 | DeGeneres said on her show about she suprising de Rossi every time she is out of the town. |
| January 5, 2020 | The couple appeared together in the Golden Globes Awards. |
| January 26, 2020 | The couple celebrated DeGeneres' birthday by attending the Grammy Awards. |
| August 2020 | De Rossi defended her wife during the controversy spreading around DeGeneres' show. |
Net Worth
Ellen DeGeneres has a net worth of around $330 million, according to the Business Insider. With that being said, she is the world’s highest-paid comedian and one of America’s richest self-made women. During the 90s, DeGeneres struggled to find work, but after doing the voice-over in “Finding Nemo” and launching her very own talk show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in 2003, she re-earned her fame. And now, she stands tall with an estimated $330 million net worth.?
Exciting Facts About Ellen DeGeneres You Didn’t Know
- Ellen has an older brother, Vance, who’s currently a writer, producer, and musician.?
- At an early age, she wanted to become a veterinarian but fell back as she wasn’t “book smart.”?
- During her struggling time, she worked as a paralegal, hostess, bartender, vacuum cleaner saleswoman, painter, and oyster shucker.
- She started performing stand-up comedy at the age of 23.?
- 1986 was her breakthrough year when she performed at “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.”?
- The groundbreaking sitcom television series heavily based on DeGeneres’ personality, Ellen, was initially named “These Friends of Mine.”?
- She’s also been through the ups and downs of a career. After “The Puppy Episode,” Ellen struggled to find mainstream work.?
- Her show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” has been nominated for the Daytime Emmy Awards for a stunning 166 time while winning 61. The show has also bagged 17 People’s Choice Awards.?
- The voice behind Dory’s character of the blockbuster movie and its sequel, “Finding Nemo,” is of Ellen.?
- Mostly known for her talk show, she’s also written four books including, Home, Seriously.. I’m Kidding, Vegan Cooking for Carnivores, and others.?
