Ellen DeGeneres at Hotel Bel Air in Los Angeles attending Oprah’s birthday party. Author Alan Light. Wikimedia Commons

10 Little Known Facts about Ellen DeGeneres


 

Ellen DeGeneres born on January 26, 1958 in Louisiana is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer. She is best remembered for starring in the sitcom Ellen from 1994 to 1998, which earned her a Prime time Emmy Award for “The Puppy Episode”.

A legend in the entertainment industry, DeGeneres is among the few privileged who have hosted the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, and the Prime time Emmys. In addition to this achievement, she has also authored four books and started her own record company, Eleven eleven, as well as a production company, A Very Good Production. She also launched a lifestyle brand, ED Ellen DeGeneres, which comprises a collection of apparel, accessories, home, baby, and pet items.

At a personal level, she is known as an amazing woman who is generous and who speaks up for what is right. She contributes to many organizations, not afraid to give of her time or her money. She gives liberally to audience members on her show and helps those in need. Let us now take you through the journey of 10 Little Known Facts about Ellen DeGeneres.

1. Contrary To Most Peoples Opinion, She May Not Be That Nice

Ellen DeGeneres, Los Angeles, CA October 4, 2011. Author Toglenn. Wikimedia Commons

It is reported that recently, a group of current and former employees of her hugely popular talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, spoke out, alleging that there is a “toxic workplace environment” on her show, with one black employee saying that a writer made racist comments. Other employees said they were fired after taking bereavement days to attend the funerals of family members. This is just one amongst a host of other allegations that would taint the image of this actress and TV host.

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2. She Was Sexually Molested By Her Father When She Was Young

Unknown to many, Ellen’s father attempted to abuse her sexually when she was 15 or 16 years old. When asked, Gruessendorf (her uncouth father) brushed off the allegations using her mother’s recent breast cancer diagnosis as an excuse to touch her inappropriately, saying he needed to examine her breasts for lumps. She was forced to run away from home and spend the night in a hospital. Unfortunately for her, when she told her mother about the abuse a few years later, she was reprimanded instead. However, later on in life the truth came to light when she finally realized that DeGeneres had been telling the truth when his accounts of his behavior toward his stepdaughter kept changing.

3. She Has Confessed To Being A Lesbian

Couple. Unknown author on Pixabay

In 1997, DeGeneres came out as a lesbian. This disclosure about her sexual orientation sparked intense interest by American tabloids. The media coverage tainted her professional career and even at some point left her “mired in depression”. In her book Love, Ellen, DeGeneres’s mother Betty describes being initially shocked when DeGeneres came out, but she has since become one of her strongest supporters. After recovery she is now an active member of PFLAG and spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign’s ‘Coming Out Project’ while at the same time being involved in same sex relationships.

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4. She Worked Any Job She Could Find Before Becoming A Star

Whereas the world over celebrates her success today, many people do not know before she was a talk show host, an actress, and a comedian, she worked any job she could find in order to make ends meet.

She had attended college at the University of New Orleans where she planned to major in Communications, but deferred after just one semester after realizing that college life wasn’t for her. She then ventured into doing many jobs, including waitressing, bartending, and shucking oysters. Other jobs include being a legal secretary, painting houses, as well as demonstrating Hoover vacuums for store customers.

5. She Had An Interest In Becoming A Veterinarian

Veterinarian. Photo by Werzk Luuuuuuu on Unsplash

Due to her love for animals Ellen also harbored thoughts of becoming a veterinarian while growing up. When she was a little girl she always dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, as People reports her saying, “The compassion I have for animals comes from my earliest memories. The first bird I saved was a mockingbird when I was around seven years. It had fallen out of its nest and I took it home and it grew up to be a full, grown-up mockingbird. I took it back to that same tree and released it.”

She has still maintained the passion for animals and has devoted time and effort to many animal charities.

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6. She Has A Passion For Animals

A cat. Photo by Edgar on Unsplash

As indicated earlier, she harbored thoughts of becoming a veterinarian. At times you may not end up being what you always wanted to be. For Ellen the script is the same. While she didn’t end up becoming a veterinarian, she never lost her passion for animals. Ellen and her wife Portia have several animals, all which were rescued. On one of her shows Ellen said, “A life to me with animals, watching them and being with them, is all I need…I just want to love animals and be around them all the time.”

She stated that she is vegan because she cannot bear to eat animals and PETA even named her their “Woman of the Year” in 2009. She also started the Ellen Degeneres Wildlife Fund to build homes for gorillas.

7. She Does Not Believe In Medicine

It is reported that she has a strong belief in Christian Science that has been brought about by her upbringing. Christian Science is a religion that doesn’t believe in medicine or doctors. In her Netflix special Relatable, she talked about one of her experiences, saying,

“My grandmother lived with us when I was a little girl, and if an aspirin commercial came on the air, she would get up from the sofa, go to the TV, turn it down and stand in front of it and hum a hymn really loudly. So you could imagine my fascination with aspirin when I was a little girl”.

8. She’s A Cousin To Both Madonna And The Princess of Wales  

Interestingly, Ellen DeGeneres is related to not one, but two extremely famous women. Ellen and Madonna are actually 11th cousins. Historians have uncovered that they are related through their 10th great-grandfather, a man named Martin Aucoin. They are even said to have some resemblance particularly through their dance moves. Coincidentally, the similarities don’t stop there, either. They were also born in the same year.

On the other hand she is also related to Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales and probably the likely next queen consort. Ellen and Kate are 15th cousins who are related through a man named Sir Thomas Fairfax and his wife from the early 1500s. Though distant it is still worth noting.

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9. She Loves Dancing

Each and every person is unique in his/her own personal space and funny habits can be exhibited. While some habits can be quite embarrassing, Ellen’s habits are actually more humorous. She told People magazine that she enjoys being home and likes to work out on the elliptical machine while watching Animal Planet. For someone who loves animals, I’m sure watching cute animals play would make her workout much more fun.

She confesses that one of her more well-known habits is dancing, especially with Portia, her partner. “You have to be with someone who’s social to force you to go out, and we both would rather be home and talk and dance with each other,” Ellen said.

10. She’s A Woman Of Firsts

In 1986, Ellen made history by becoming the first woman in the history of The Tonight Show to have a sit-down interview with Johnny Carson. Ellen recalled the events leading up to it in a Huffington Post interview, saying, “I was kind of considered one of the best comedians in San Francisco but I would choke and got so nervous. Even though my material was strong, I just wasn’t ready.”

She went on to say that she kept working and eventually caught the eye of the person who booked for The Tonight Show. He walked up to her after a show and said, “You’re on next week.”