It would not be an exaggeration to say that Ellen DeGeneres is one of the legendary symbols of the LGBT community when she once dared to “come out” in front of the entire United States. Even though she was severely ostracized, she eventually became the most powerful MC today.

Unhappy childhood

Ellen DeGeneres was born in 1958 in Louisiana, USA, in a family where her father worked as an insurance salesman and her mother was a worker. Ellen’s family’s life became difficult when the economy deteriorated and gradually her parents could not stand the arguments anymore, they filed for divorce when Ellen was only 13 years old.

After her parents divorced, Ellen and her mother moved to Atlanta, USA, to live. During that time, Ellen had to try and become stronger to make her mother laugh and be an emotional support.

Here, Ellen’s mother met and remarried a man even though Ellen had no feelings for her stepfather. The moment Ellen entered puberty was when the nightmare began, she was sexually abused by her stepfather for a long time. At that time, Ellen still gritted her teeth and endured it for fear of affecting her mother’s breast cancer treatment. It was not until many years later that Ellen mustered the courage to tell the truth about her corrupt stepfather, but her mother did not believe her and continued to live with that man for the next 18 years. 

Go through the scene of your girlfriend’s accident

During her youth, Ellen struggled to work many jobs, from salesperson and painter to waiter and bartender. In 1980, 22-year-old Ellen met a young female poet named Kathy Perkoff. The two began a same-sex love relationship and Kathy was probably Ellen’s first girlfriend. In an interview with People, Kathy’s sister described: “The two of them are creative, crazy individuals who love each other very much. My sister is full of passion and charisma. Ellen has a positive influence on my sister. She has stability and helps Kathy focus on her creative work more.”

Unfortunately, Ellen’s youthful love affair ended in tragedy when Kathy died in a car accident. At that time, the two lived together, but because of an argument, they temporarily broke up, and Ellen went to stay at a friend’s house.

On the fateful night, Kathy and Ellen went to a music night organized by Ellen’s brother’s band. Here, Kathy offered to make up, but Ellen ignored her girlfriend. Ellen recalls that Kathy tried to reach out and ask her to come home with her. However, Ellen then pretended that the music was too loud so she couldn’t hear what the other person said even though in her heart she had decided to reconnect with Kathy. Ellen said that she just wanted to teach her girlfriend a lesson, but Ellen didn’t expect that in the end, she would be the one to learn a valuable lesson.

As a result of Ellen’s refusal, Kathy drove home first and had an accident that killed her on the spot. After that, Ellen and her friends were on their way home when they ran across an accident scene but they just left. The next morning, when Ellen woke up, she realized that one of the people in distress yesterday was Kathy.

“The accident made me regret and think that I should have gone home with Kathy that night. If so, I would have been the one driving and not letting that accident happen… Everything. A lot of regrets. That incident helped me realize how easily we can lose someone in our lives. Truly, Kathy passed away forever in the blink of an eye. Such a loss for me. It was extremely difficult for me, but it helped me redefine my life and career” – Ellen confided.

The female artist dared to affirm “I am gay” on a reputable newspaper

A year after Kathy passed away, Ellen began her career as an amateur comedian performing in small venues. Over the next year, she toured across the United States and appeared in television series and movies. The year 1986 marked a major turning point in Ellen’s acting career when she appeared on The Tonight Show and won the love of a large audience. From then on, Ellen’s career skyrocketed.

In 1997, Ellen shocked American public opinion when she revealed her true gender on the cover of the famous Time magazine with the title “Yes, I’m gay”. Even though it was an open country, at that time, America still refused to accept a gay female artist. This caused Ellen’s career to plummet, her management company abandoned her, her advertising contract was cut, and the show was canceled. 

Faced with public boycott, Ellen retreated to “hide” for 3 years and fell into severe depression, ready for a strong rebirth like a firebird. In 2001, she tried to return to television, but the show was mercilessly canceled after the first episode aired.

In 2003, Ellen “reappeared” to assert herself once again with a show called The Ellen DeGeneres Show with content that revolved around humorous conversations between her and celebrities. This time, it was Ellen’s skillful speaking skills and skillful hosting that helped create sympathy in the public’s hearts. Since then, people have gradually accepted the true gender of this powerful female MC more. Up to now, nearly 20 years have passed, but The Ellen DeGeneres Show still retains its appeal, continuously winning many major awards, helping to affirm Ellen’s name and bringing her a huge fortune.

A happy home with a same-sex partner

In addition to a successful career, Ellen also finds fulfillment in love with her same-sex partner, actress Portia de Rossi. According to Portia, from the first time they met, both people felt connected to each other. However, it took Portia 3 years to dare to confess her feelings for the powerful female MC because she had never publicly revealed her true gender and of course never thought of dating a homosexual. The most famous woman in the world is like Ellen.

A few years after their first meeting, Ellen and Portia had the opportunity to meet again at a photo shoot.

“I came to say hello and Ellen came back. I felt like my heart had been shot by an arrow. I felt weak in my legs and lightheaded. However, it wasn’t until 10 months later that I action” – Portia shared.

The couple started dating in December 2004. After the California Supreme Court lifted the ban on same-sex marriage in 2008, Ellen announced on the show that she and her girlfriend were about to get married.

In fact, Ellen had originally planned to propose to her girlfriend as a surprise at their birthday party (they were both born in January) but the law changed and her plans changed as well. After that, Portia appeared on the red carpet of the event with a diamond ring on her ring finger, signaling that the two’s wedding was approaching.

For Ellen, she felt it was important to be legally married. “Everyone who has been married will recognize the difference. It is like an anchor that makes us feel safe. I know I will be with her until the day I die” – Ellen shared.

On June 18, 2008, the two brides exchanged their hundred-year vows in front of all 19 close friends and family at their home in Los Angeles. In 2010, Portia officially changed her last name to Portia Lee James DeGeneres.

Ellen shared that she and her wife often exclaimed to each other, “We are so lucky” because they were able to find each other in this life. Even many nights before going to bed, Ellen silently thanked everyone for bringing her to where she belonged, next to Portia.

On their personal social network accounts, Ellen and Portia often share photos taken together. Ellen said she loves taking photos of her wife because Portia is always beautiful.

In addition, the couple also shared with the public that they do not want to have children. Ellen once joked: “What if I say the reason is that I don’t like children?” but then she confided that the entertainment industry, where she and her wife are active, can sometimes be very difficult for children when they have to accept “sharing” their parents with the public. Instead of having children, Ellen and Portia adopted a dog named Kid so that if anyone asked them if they had children in the future, they could confidently answer “Yes”.

Up to now, 12 years have passed and they have faced many divorce rumors, but Ellen and Portia’s marriage is still extremely strong. When asked about the secret to keeping the love alive, Portia confided: “We are like good friends. We tell each other everything and never lie, even about the little things. She She’s the only person I want to hang out with. She’s like my best friend and I want to be with her all the time. She’s so amazing, who wouldn’t want to be with Ellen forever? ?”.