# Ellen DeGeneres
**Ellen DeGeneres** (born Ellen Lea DeGeneres, 1958, in [Metairie, Louisiana](https://www.edgepedia.org/metairie-louisiana)) is an American comedian, actress, and television talk-show host who starred in the sitcom *Ellen* from 1994 to 1998 and hosted the syndicated *The Ellen DeGeneres Show* from 2003 to 2022.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ellen-degeneres) • [2](https://www.biography.com/actors/ellen-degeneres) • [3](https://obama.artifacts.archives.gov/people/2395/ellen-degeneres) Her 1997 public coming out, on both the sitcom and in real life, made her the first openly lesbian actress to play an openly lesbian character on television.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ellen-degeneres) She has won 30 Emmys, received the [Presidential Medal of Freedom](https://www.edgepedia.org/presidential-medal-of-freedom) in 2016, and her daytime show ran roughly 3,000 episodes over 19 seasons.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ellen-degeneres) • [4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ellen-degeneres-comedy-history)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1958, Metairie, Louisiana[2](https://www.biography.com/actors/ellen-degeneres) |
| Coming out | 1997 "Puppy Episode" of *Ellen*, seen by a record 46 million viewers; Peabody Award and writing Emmy for the episode[5](https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/d/da-dn/ellen-degeneres/) |
| Talk show | Premiered September 8, 2003; 19 seasons, about 3,000 episodes, final episode May 26, 2022[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ellen-degeneres-comedy-history) |
| Awards | 30 Emmys, 20 People's Choice Awards, 64 Daytime Emmys for the show, Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016), Mark Twain Prize (2012)[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ellen-degeneres) • [4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ellen-degeneres-comedy-history) • [6](https://www.nbc.com/ellens-game-of-games/credits/host/ellen-degeneres) |
| Film | Voice of Dory in *Finding Nemo* (2003) and *Finding Dory* (2016), which passed $1 billion worldwide[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ellen-degeneres) • [6](https://www.nbc.com/ellens-game-of-games/credits/host/ellen-degeneres) |
| 2020 controversy | Staffer allegations of a "toxic work environment"; written apology to staff; show ended in 2022[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ellen-degeneres-comedy-history) • [2](https://www.biography.com/actors/ellen-degeneres) |
| Later career | Netflix special *Relatable* (2018); final special *For Your Approval* (September 24, 2024)[2](https://www.biography.com/actors/ellen-degeneres) • [4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ellen-degeneres-comedy-history) |
## Early life and stand-up comedy
DeGeneres was born in 1958 in Metairie, Louisiana.[2](https://www.biography.com/actors/ellen-degeneres) Her career in comedy began as an emcee at a New Orleans comedy club.[5](https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/d/da-dn/ellen-degeneres/) National recognition came in 1982, when videotaped club performances won Showtime's "Funniest Person In America" honor.[5](https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/d/da-dn/ellen-degeneres/) In 1986, after an appearance on *The Tonight Show*, she became the first female comedian [Johnny Carson](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-carson) summoned to sit down with him after her performance, a mark of host approval for a rising comic.[5](https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/d/da-dn/ellen-degeneres/)
The sitcom *Ellen*, originally titled *These Friends of Mine* before being renamed after its first season, ran from 1994 to 1998 with DeGeneres in the title role.[6](https://www.nbc.com/ellens-game-of-games/credits/host/ellen-degeneres) • [1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ellen-degeneres)
## The coming-out moment and its aftermath
In 1997, during the fourth season of *Ellen*, both the character Ellen Morgan and DeGeneres herself came out as gay.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ellen-degeneres) The episode, known as "[The Puppy Episode](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-puppy-episode)," aired April 30, 1997, and drew a record 46 million viewers.[5](https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/d/da-dn/ellen-degeneres/) • [4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ellen-degeneres-comedy-history) DeGeneres received the Peabody Award and an Emmy for writing the episode.[5](https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/d/da-dn/ellen-degeneres/)
The Television Academy Foundation's oral-history collection preserves first-person accounts of the decision, including former Disney executive [Michael Eisner](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-eisner)'s account of DeGeneres approaching him about coming out on television, and producer Richard Frank's account of developing the series and its coming-out storyline.[7](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/people/ellen-degeneres)
The aftermath was difficult. The sitcom ended in 1998 after controversy and a ratings decline in the following season.[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ellen-degeneres-comedy-history)
## The Ellen DeGeneres Show
*The Ellen DeGeneres Show* premiered on September 8, 2003, airing on stations across the country, many of them NBC-owned, and was produced by Warner Bros. and DeGeneres's company A Very Good Production.[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ellen-degeneres-comedy-history) Over 19 seasons and roughly 3,000 episodes, the show won 64 [Daytime Emmy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/daytime-emmy-awards), 12 of them for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show, a category in which the show became a record holder.[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ellen-degeneres-comedy-history)
**The 2020 workplace allegations.** In 2020, current and former staffers accused DeGeneres of creating a "toxic work environment" behind the scenes, with reports of racism, fear, intimidation, and sexual misconduct at the hands of other producers.[2](https://www.biography.com/actors/ellen-degeneres) The allegations surfaced while the world was hunkered down in a pandemic and centered on a gap between the show's "be kind" image and the experiences of people behind the scenes.[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ellen-degeneres-comedy-history) DeGeneres apologized to staff in writing, saying that from the start she had promised the show "would be a place of happiness, no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect. Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry."[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ellen-degeneres-comedy-history)
The show aired its final episode on May 26, 2022.[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ellen-degeneres-comedy-history)
## Film, voice work, and other media
DeGeneres provided the voice of Dory in Pixar's *Finding Nemo* (2003), earning the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress; no actress had previously received a Saturn Award for a vocal role.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ellen-degeneres) In 2016, the follow-up *Finding Dory* earned more on its opening weekend at the domestic box office than any other animated film had, and it went on to gross over a billion dollars worldwide.[6](https://www.nbc.com/ellens-game-of-games/credits/host/ellen-degeneres)
Her hosting work extended across award shows and competition television: she hosted the Academy Awards, including the 2007 and 2014 ceremonies, the [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards), and the Primetime Emmys, and served as a judge on the ninth season of *American Idol* in 2010.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ellen-degeneres) She also hosted the NBC game show *[Ellen's Game of Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/ellens-game-of-games)*.[6](https://www.nbc.com/ellens-game-of-games/credits/host/ellen-degeneres) At the 77th [Golden Globe Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/golden-globe-awards) in January 2020 she received the Carol Burnett Award.[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ellen-degeneres-comedy-history)
## By the numbers
- **30 Emmys** and **20 People's Choice Awards**, the latter more than any other person.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ellen-degeneres)
- **64 Daytime Emmy Awards** for *The Ellen DeGeneres Show*, including a record 12 for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show.[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ellen-degeneres-comedy-history)
- **46 million viewers** for "The Puppy Episode" in 1997.[5](https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/d/da-dn/ellen-degeneres/)
- **19 seasons and about 3,000 episodes** of the talk show between 2003 and 2022.[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ellen-degeneres-comedy-history)
- **Over $1 billion** global box office for *Finding Dory*.[6](https://www.nbc.com/ellens-game-of-games/credits/host/ellen-degeneres)
- **Charitable funds raised by the show**: reported totals range from more than $50 million to more than $95 million.[6](https://www.nbc.com/ellens-game-of-games/credits/host/ellen-degeneres) • [5](https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/d/da-dn/ellen-degeneres/)
## Philanthropy, later career, and legacy
The show's fundraising included more than $10 million for New Orleans after [Hurricane Katrina](https://www.edgepedia.org/hurricane-katrina).[5](https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/d/da-dn/ellen-degeneres/) In early 2018 DeGeneres learned of plans to create the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda, the first initiative of the new Ellen DeGeneres Wildlife Fund.[2](https://www.biography.com/actors/ellen-degeneres) She also supports LGBTQ organizations including the Trevor Project and the [Human Rights Campaign](https://www.edgepedia.org/human-rights-campaign).[8](https://www.forbes.com/profile/ellen-degeneres/) In 2008 she married her longtime girlfriend, [Portia de Rossi](https://www.edgepedia.org/portia-de-rossi).[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ellen-degeneres)
**Return to stand-up.** After a 15-year break from stand-up, her first Netflix special, *Ellen DeGeneres: Relatable*, was released in December 2018.[2](https://www.biography.com/actors/ellen-degeneres) In 2024 she embarked on the *Ellen's Last Stand… Up* tour, telling an audience in July, "This is the last time you're going to see me. After my Netflix special, I'm done."[2](https://www.biography.com/actors/ellen-degeneres) The final special, *Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval*, premiered globally on September 24, 2024, billed as her final comedy special in a four-decade career.[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ellen-degeneres-comedy-history) In it she addresses the 2020 allegations and her apology, discusses being supposedly "kicked out of show business," refutes accusations that she was "mean" to her staff, and reflects that she "was a very immature boss."[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ellen-degeneres-comedy-history)
Outside entertainment, Forbes reports that since her show ended she has been an active home flipper and, after the 2024 presidential election, sold her largest estate in [Montecito, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/montecito-california), for $96 million.[8](https://www.forbes.com/profile/ellen-degeneres/)
Her legacy is assessed differently by different institutions: the awards record, the 1997 coming-out milestone, and the charitable totals stand alongside the 2020 workplace allegations and her own on-stage acknowledgment of being an immature boss, a counterweight that her final special itself addresses.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ellen-degeneres) • [5](https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/d/da-dn/ellen-degeneres/) • [4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ellen-degeneres-comedy-history)
## References
1. [Ellen DeGeneres, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ellen-degeneres)
2. [Ellen DeGeneres: Biography, Comedian, Talk Show Host, Actor, Biography.com](https://www.biography.com/actors/ellen-degeneres)
3. [Ellen DeGeneres, Obama Presidential Library eMuseum](https://obama.artifacts.archives.gov/people/2395/ellen-degeneres)
4. [Ellen DeGeneres Timeline of her Comedy Career Leading Up to New Netflix Special, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ellen-degeneres-comedy-history)
5. [Ellen DeGeneres, Kennedy Center](https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/d/da-dn/ellen-degeneres/)
6. [Ellen DeGeneres: Ellen's Game of Games host, NBC.com](https://www.nbc.com/ellens-game-of-games/credits/host/ellen-degeneres)
7. [Ellen DeGeneres, Television Academy Foundation Interviews](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/people/ellen-degeneres)
8. [Ellen DeGeneres, Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/profile/ellen-degeneres/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Television presenters and hosts › Talk show hosts*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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