Ellen DeGeneres.

Ellen Lee DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres — Activist

Born 26 Jan 1958 Metairie, United States

Citizenship United States

Age 68 yr Today

13 min read

Reading time

2,415

Words

Mar 7, 2026

Published

110

Film credits

7

Books

19

Awards

TL;DR

Ellen DeGeneres made television history in April 1997 when both she and her sitcom character came out as lesbian. She went on to host the Emmy-winning The Ellen DeGeneres Show from 2003, winning 15 Daytime Emmy Awards in its first three seasons. She is also the voice of Dory in Pixar’s Finding Nemo 2003 and its sequel Finding Dory 2016.

Identity & family.

KIN · 4

Names, aliases, and relatives of Ellen DeGeneres — birth name, kin, and personal ties.

Birth Name Ellen Lee DeGeneres

Aliases Ellen Degeneres, Ellen

PARENTS: Betty DeGeneres Elliott Everett DeGeneres Jr.
SPOUSES: Portia de Rossi
SIBLINGS: Vance DeGeneres

At a glance.

STATS

Ellen DeGeneres by the numbers — life, work, and family.

68 Age

110 Film credits

7 Books

19 Awards

1 Marriage

Who is Ellen DeGeneres?

BIOGRAPHY

Ellen DeGeneres — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.

Early life

Ellen DeGeneres was 16 when her parents divorced, prompting a move to Atlanta, Texas with her mother and stepfather. Born Ellen Lee DeGeneres on January 26, 1958 in Metairie, Louisiana, her mother Betty DeGeneres worked as a speech therapist and father Elliott Everett DeGeneres Jr. was an insurance agent. She graduated from Atlanta High School in 1976 and briefly attended the University of New Orleans as a communications major before dropping out after one semester.

She held various jobs, including vacuum cleaner sales, before pursuing stand-up comedy. Her comedy was described as a distaff version of Bob Newhart.

Career

After starting stand-up at small clubs, Ellen DeGeneres won a Showtime competition in 1982 and was named Funniest Person in America. She appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1986. Her sitcom Ellen formerly These Friends of Mine premiered in 1994 on ABC. In April 1997, her character came out as lesbian, mirroring her own coming out. The show was canceled the next season.

She returned to stand-up and later launched The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2003, which became a critical and commercial hit. It won 15 Daytime Emmy Awards in its first three seasons. She voiced Dory in Finding Nemo 2003 and reprised the role in Finding Dory 2016. She hosted the Oscars in 2007 and 2014, the Grammys in 1996 and 1997, and the Primetime Emmys in 2001 and 2005.

Personal life

Ellen DeGeneres married actress Portia de Rossi on August 16, 2008 at their home in Beverly Hills, California. She previously had a high-profile relationship with actress Anne Heche, whom she met in March 1997 and split from in August 2000. She is close friends with Courteney Cox, Katy Perry, Jennifer Aniston, and others. She quit smoking using the Allen Carr method. She has two dogs named Bootsie and Muffin.

She was raised as a Christian Scientist until age 13, then converted to her stepfather’s beliefs after her parents’ divorce.

Legacy

Ellen DeGeneres received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2016. She won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2012. Her 1997 coming out was a watershed moment for LGBTQ+ visibility on network TV. Her daytime talk show revolutionized the genre with its focus on kindness and celebrity interviews. She is remembered for breaking barriers and shaping daytime television.

Filmography.

FILMS · 110

Browse the complete filmography of Ellen DeGeneres — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.

TV

The Simpsons

1989
TV

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

2014
TV

The Kelly Clarkson Show

2019
TV

Saturday Night Live

1975
TV

The Big Bang Theory

2007
TV

Sesame Street

1969
TV

Will & Grace

1998
TV

Late Show with David Letterman

1993
TV

American Idol

2002
TV

Six Feet Under

2001
TV

Mad About You

1992
TV

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

2003
TV

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

2003
Movie

Finding Nemo

2003

Could not load more credits.

Awards & honors.

AWARDS · 18

Every award, honor, and recognition received by Ellen DeGeneres — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.

Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Entertainment
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host
American Comedy Awards
Teen Choice Awards
Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production
Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
Women in Film Honors
star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Annie Award
Genesis Award
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Lucy Award
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
GLAAD Stephen F. Kolzak Award
Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy
Carol Burnett Award

Bibliography.

BOOKS · 7

Ellen DeGeneres's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.

Amazon

Seriously – I'm Kidding

by Ellen DeGeneres
Amazon

My Point – and I Do Have One

by Ellen DeGeneres
Amazon

My Point and I Do Have One

by Ellen DeGeneres
Amazon

Home

by Ellen DeGeneres
Amazon

Little Ellen

by Ellen DeGeneres et al.
Amazon

The Funny Thing Is –

by Ellen DeGeneres
Amazon

Seriously I'm Kidding

by Ellen DeGeneres

Notable quotes.

QUOTES · 14

A wall of memorable lines from Ellen DeGeneres — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.

I’m a Lesbian, an Aquarian, and a Vegetarian.
People Always Ask Me ‘Were You Funny as a Child?’ Well, I Was an Accountant.
I Ask People Why They Have Deer Heads on Their Walls. They Always Say Because It’s Such a Beautiful Animal. There You Go. I Think My Mother Is Attractive, but I Have Photographs of Her.
My Grandmother Started Walking Five Miles a Day When She Was 60. She’s 97 Now, and We Don’t Know Where the Hell She Is.
You Say You’re Sick and Tired of Hearing About Me? I’ve Got News for You: I’M Sick and Tired of Hearing About Me.
Sometimes the Greatest Things Are the Most Embarrassing.
There’s Two Things I’ve Always Wanted to Do in My Life. One Is to Host the Oscars. the Second Is to Get a Call from Laura Ziskin. You Can Imagine That Day’s Diary Entry. After Receiving a Call from Ziskin, Producer of the 2007 Oscars, Requesting That Ellen Host.
Find Out Who You Are and Be That Person. That’s What Your Soul Was Put on This Earth to Be. Find That Truth, Live That Truth, and Everything Else Will Come.
What Goes up Must Come Down, Which Is Why I Don’t Wear Tube Tops.
Never Follow Anyone Else’s Path, Unless You’re in the Woods and You’re Lost and You See a Path; Then, by All Means, You Should Follow That Path.
I’m Glad I’m Funny. I’m Glad I Make People Happy, Because That’s Very Important. but I’m Most Proud to Be Known as a Kind Person. . . . Because Kindness Spreads, and the World Is a Little Nicer Out There.
We Can Sit and Worry About What’s Going to Happen to Us Two Weeks from Now. I’d Rather Focus on the Amazing Things Happening Right in Front of Us. Animals Help Us Do That.
Be Kind to One Another.
Why Do They Say We’re Over the Hill? I Don’t Even Know What That Means and Why It’s a Bad Thing. When I Go Hiking and I Get Over a Hill, That Means I’m Past the Hard Part and There’s a Snack in My Future.

Did you know?

FACTS · 50

Little-known facts about Ellen DeGeneres — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.

Is the second woman to host the Oscars on her own; the first was Whoopi Goldberg.
Sold vacuum cleaners before she was discovered.
Lived in the apartment used in Annabelle 2014; while promoting the movie on her show, she explained that it was her first apartment in L.A.
Quit smoking cigarettes using the Allen Carr method also known as Easy Way.
When Ellen came out as a lesbian on her show in April 1997, ABC’s affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama refused to air the episode, and some sponsors like Chrysler withdrew ads.
Awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television at 6270 Hollywood Boulevard on September 4, 2012.
Married Portia de Rossi on August 16, 2008 at her home in Beverly Hills, California.
Worked as a paralegal before becoming a comedian.
Has Cajun/French, English, Irish, German, and distant Dutch and Swiss-German ancestry; her surname is French.
Animal advocate and co-owner of Halo pet food.
Voted Funniest Person in America in 1982.
Was the first female stand-up guest to be called to the hot seat on her first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 1962.
After her sitcom was canceled, she was out of work for three years as no one booked her after coming out, until Andrew Stanton offered her the role of Dory in Finding Nemo.
When she appeared on the April 14, 1997 cover of Time magazine, readers voted it the magazine’s best ever.
Good friends with Courteney Cox, Katy Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Oprah Winfrey, Pamela Anderson, Justin Timberlake, Kristin Chenoweth, and Steve Harvey.
Auditioned for the role of Jody in Pulp Fiction 1994, but Rosanna Arquette was cast instead.
Has written two books: My Point… And I Do Have One and The Funny Thing Is…, both New York Times bestsellers.
Was initially reluctant to do a love scene with Sharon Stone in If These Walls Could Talk 2 2000, but then-girlfriend Anne Heche encouraged her.
Winner of the 2012 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Named Entertainer of the Year by Entertainment Weekly in December 1997.
As of June 2017, she is the only female to host the Emmy Awards and the Academy Awards.
Younger sister of Vance DeGeneres.
Has two dogs named Bootsie and Muffin.
Won American Comedy Award for Funniest Female Stand-Up Comic in 1991.
Split with girlfriend Anne Heche on August 16, 2000; they were introduced by writer Roger Friedman and actor Vince Vaughn at a Vanity Fair party on March 24, 1997.
Her last name is pronounced duh-generous.
Gave the commencement speech at Tulane University in New Orleans.
Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama on November 22, 2016.
Attended her first MLB game at Target Field in Minnesota, getting a Joe Mauer jersey.
Has an annual salary of $75 million for The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Is a sweetheart of the fraternity Sigma Tau Gamma.
Sued by record labels for unpaid song licenses, but the suit was quickly settled.
Is 11th cousin to Madonna.
Was the only female comedian invited to sit with Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show.
Worked as a bartender and hostess at a restaurant.
Contrary to urban legend, never auditioned for the role of Phoebe Buffay on Friends and never turned it down.
Always sets her watch to Mountain Standard Time.
Spoke at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, pointing out heterosexist plots in Hollywood.
Daughter of Betty DeGeneres.
Owns a production company called A Very Good Production.
Worked as a floor clerk at JC Penney.
Collects watches.
Attended and graduated from Atlanta High School in Atlanta, Texas in 1976.
Is 14th cousin, twice removed, to Kate Middleton.
Worked as a waitress at Fridays.
Raised as a Christian Scientist until age 13, then converted to her stepfather’s beliefs.
Ended a four-year relationship with photographer-director Alexandra Hedison.
Founded record label eleveneleven in 2010, signing Greyson Chance.
Has a net worth of $345 million.
First celebrity crush was Michael Jackson.

You wanted to know.

FAQ · 47

Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Ellen DeGeneres.

When was Ellen DeGeneres born?

Ellen DeGeneres was born on January 26, 1958.
Where was Ellen DeGeneres born?

She was born in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans.
How old is Ellen DeGeneres?

As of 2025, Ellen DeGeneres is 67 years old, turning 68 on January 26, 2025.
What is Ellen DeGeneres's real name?

Her full birth name is Ellen Lee DeGeneres.
What does Ellen DeGeneres do for a living?

She is a producer, writer, and actor best known for her talk show and stand-up comedy.
What nationality is Ellen DeGeneres?

She is American.
What language does Ellen DeGeneres speak?

Her native language is English.
Who are Ellen DeGeneres's parents?

Her mother is Betty DeGeneres and her father is Elliott Everett DeGeneres Jr.
Who is Ellen DeGeneres married to?

She is married to Portia de Rossi, an Australian actress, since August 16, 2008.
Does Ellen DeGeneres have any siblings?

Yes, she has one older brother named Vance DeGeneres, who is a musician and producer.
Where did Ellen DeGeneres go to school?

She attended Atlanta High School, Grace King High School, Bishop Manogue High School, and briefly the University of New Orleans.
What awards has Ellen DeGeneres won?

She has won 19 Daytime Emmys, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
How many awards has Ellen DeGeneres won?

According to the source, she has won 19 major awards, though she has received many more nominations.
What is Ellen DeGeneres best known for?

She is best known for her sitcom Ellen 1994-1998, her long-running talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and voicing Dory in Pixar’s Finding Nemo.
What is Ellen DeGeneres's Instagram handle?

Her Instagram handle is @ellendegeneres.
How tall is Ellen DeGeneres?

She is 5 feet 8 inches tall, which is 1.71 meters.
Why is Ellen DeGeneres sometimes called simply Ellen?

She is often referred to mononymously as Ellen because of her talk show and sitcom title.
Is Ellen DeGeneres married?

Yes, she has been married to Portia de Rossi since August 16, 2008.
Does Ellen DeGeneres have children?

No, she does not have any children.
Who are Ellen DeGeneres's siblings?

She has one sibling, her older brother Vance DeGeneres.
What is Ellen DeGeneres's net worth?

According to trivia, her net worth is estimated at $345 million.
Did Ellen DeGeneres audition for the role of Phoebe on Friends?

No, contrary to urban legend, she never auditioned for the role of Phoebe Buffay on Friends.
What was Ellen DeGeneres's first job?

She worked as a vacuum cleaner salesperson, among other jobs like paralegal and bartender.
What is Ellen DeGeneres's ancestry?

She has Cajun/French, English, Irish, German, and distant Dutch and Swiss-German ancestry.
How did Ellen DeGeneres quit smoking?

She used the Allen Carr method, also known as Easy Way, to quit smoking.
What is Ellen DeGeneres's favorite number?

She has a fascination with the number 11:11, which inspired her record label name eleveneleven.
What is the name of Ellen DeGeneres's production company?

Her production company is called A Very Good Production.
What is the name of Ellen DeGeneres's record label?

She founded eleveneleven in 2010, signing singer Greyson Chance.
How many times has Ellen DeGeneres hosted the Oscars?

She hosted the Academy Awards twice, in 2007 and 2014.
What is the name of Ellen DeGeneres's talk show?

Her daytime talk show is called The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which ran from 2003 to 2022.
What role did Ellen DeGeneres voice in Finding Nemo?

She voiced Dory, a blue tang fish with short-term memory loss, in both Finding Nemo and Finding Dory.
In what year did Ellen DeGeneres come out as a lesbian?

She came out in April 1997 on the cover of Time magazine and in her sitcom.
What happened when Ellen DeGeneres came out on her sitcom?

ABC’s affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama refused to air the episode, and some sponsors like Chrysler withdrew ads.
Who was Ellen DeGeneres's first high-profile girlfriend?

Her first high-profile relationship was with actress Anne Heche, from March 1997 to August 2000.
How did Ellen DeGeneres meet Portia de Rossi?

The source does not specify how they met, but they married on August 16, 2008.
What is the name of Ellen DeGeneres's brother?

Her brother is Vance DeGeneres, a musician and producer.
What is Ellen DeGeneres's dog's name?

She has two dogs named Bootsie and Muffin.
What award did Ellen DeGeneres receive in 2016?

She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
What award did Ellen DeGeneres win in 2012?

She won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor awarded by the Kennedy Center.
Is Ellen DeGeneres related to Madonna?

Yes, she is 11th cousin to Madonna, according to trivia.
Is Ellen DeGeneres related to Kate Middleton?

Yes, she is 14th cousin, twice removed to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
What was Ellen DeGeneres's first TV appearance?

Her first major TV appearance was on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1986.
How much does Ellen DeGeneres earn per year?

At the peak of her talk show, she earned an annual salary of $75 million.
What is the name of Ellen DeGeneres's sitcom?

Her sitcom was originally called These Friends of Mine before being renamed Ellen after its first season.
Did Ellen DeGeneres win a competition to get discovered?

Yes, she won a competition sponsored by Showtime in 1982 and was named Funniest Person in America.
What is the significance of the number 11 to Ellen DeGeneres?

She frequently sees the time 11:11 on clocks, which led to her record label name eleveneleven.
What kind of accent does Ellen DeGeneres have?

She speaks with a standard American accent and her last name is pronounced duh-generous.

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Audited & updated by

Olivia has 6 years of experience writing biographical profiles and still approaches every subject like it's the first one. She covers everyone from debut musicians to Hall of Fame athletes to novelists most people have never heard of. She finds something worth reading in all of them. Her drafts tend to come in already clean, which her editor appreciates. She says good writing is just good thinking written down. Hard to argue with that.

Published on March 7, 2026

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