Ellen DeGeneres Presentation by Rachel Stephens

Born January 26, 1958, Ellen, now 51 years old, grew up around New Orleans, Louisiana. Her parents, Betty and Elliott DeGeneres, divorced in 1973, when Ellen was 15 years old. Ellen attended La Salle Elementary School, and once her parents divorced, she moved with her mom and her mom's new boyfriend, while her brother stayed home with their dad. Ellen: The Beginning

When the DeGenereses moved, they moved to Atlanta, Texas. As a junior, Ellen dated a boy by the name of Ben Heath. Ben was a football player and a star pupil. They planned on getting married, but Ben had to put their relationship on hold while he attended college. Of course, they never married, but he did give her a promise ring with a small diamond while in high school.

Following her leave from college after one semester, Ellen worked on a series of part-time jobs, such as retail, waitressing, and being a bartender. By 1981, she was the emcee at Clyde's Comedy Club, and by 1982, she was named Funniest Person in America by Showtime.

TV Shows and Movies Ellen's TV shows included: Ellen ( ) The Ellen Show ( ) The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Sep present) Movies she appeared in: Wisecracks Coneheads Trevor Mr. Wrong Goodbye Lover The Love Letter EDTV Reaching Normal Finding Nemo Pauly Shore is Dead My Short Film

In the 4th season of Ellen (1997), DeGeneres shocked viewers with her admitting to being gay (which she made public earlier in the year on The Oprah Winfrey Show). Ratings for the show increased, and the episode ("The Puppy Episode") is among the most popular episodes. Although she has had other relationships, Ellen is now married to Portia de Rossi (of Arrested Development).

Ellen's current primetime show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, is aired weekdays at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, after The Tyra Banks Show. Even after Prop 8 was passed in California, Ellen remains married to de Rossi, and hopes that someday "...a 'ban on gay marriage' will sound totally ridiculous."