Ellen DeGeneres turned a year older on January 26th. At the age of 55, this woman is more powerful, charismatic and humorous than ever. At present, she hosts her most successful show till date – ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ that has been running since 2003.
However, this comedienne has had her own share of lows along with highs. Let’s take a look at the facts that make her the American Sweetheart she is today.
* As a teenager, she worked as a waitress in restaurants including TGI Friday’s, a hostess, bartender and a saleswoman. Ellen credits her sometimes difficult life for making her the comic she is today as she used humour as a coping strategy.
* When she was 16, she was molested by her stepfather but was hesitant to tell her mother (who was fighting Breast Cancer) about it. She confessed to her mother once she graduated from High School.
* Ellen won her first award in 1984 as Showtime’s Funniest Person in America for a monologue she wrote after her first girlfriend, Kathy Perkoff died in a car accident.
In 1986, Ellen became the first female comedian to be called on the Tonight Show by Johnny Carson. Ellen also revealed that she had always dreamed of appearing on the Tonight Show as she said to herself, “I’m going to do this on Johnny Carson, and I’m going to get called over to the couch, and I’ll be the first woman in history ever to get called over.”
In 1994, Ellen turned down an offer to star in the super hit TV show “Friends” and chose to do “Ellen” instead.
Ellen finally came out of the closet in 1997, accepting her relationship with Anne Heche. Due to the media interference and personal problems, the couple broke up in 2000. This confession made producers of her successful show “Ellen” uncomfortable, leading to its abrupt end in 1988.
The net worth of Ellen DeGeneres is a hefty amount of US $65 million.
The funniest woman in America is a relative of the biggest music icon in America… Madonna! Yes, they are 11th cousins.
For this Emmy award winner, all we can say is ‘All is Well that Ends Well’. Ellen married her long time sweetheart Portia de Rossi in August 2008 and lives with her in Beverly Hills.