Ellen Degeneres Net Worth

Ellen Lee DeGeneres was born on January 26, 1958, in Metairie, LA. After a brief stint as a law firm clerk, retail worker, waitress, bartender, hostess, and house painter, Ellen DeGeneres became a stand up comedian.

She had many comedic influences, including Steve Martin, Woody Allen, Carol Burnett, and Bob Newhart. At 23, Ellen was emceeing at Clyde’s Comedy Club in New Orleans. She  began touring America and Showtime named her the funniest person in America in 1984.

The Tonight Show

In the 80s, a comedian’s career could be made by a positively received appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and Ellen DeGeneres was lucky enough to land a spot on the show in 1986.

She would appear on The Tonight Show a total of 8 times. During the late 80s, Ellen DeGeneres would appear on television in other shows, like The Young Comedians All-Star Reunion, On Location: Women of the Night, An Evening at the Improv, and The Arsenio Hall Show.

Prime Time Television

Before her talk show, Ellen DeGeneres would have a regular television gig on Open House from 1989 to 1990. She also starred in the series Laurie Hill that was canceled after only four episodes.

Movies

Ellen Degeneres appeared in several movies in the 90s, none of which found great success. Her first film was Coneheads, based on Saturday Night Live characters. In 1996, she starred in Mr. Wrong, a comedy about a woman stalked by an admirer. In the late 90s, she appeared in Goodbye Lover, Dr. Dolittle, EDtv, and Love Letter before doing voice acting as Dory in the Finding Nemo series of films.

Ellen

The real break for Ellen was when she got her own show in 1994, titled These Friends of Mine. It was later retitled Ellen and became a groundbreaking show. The show followed the life of neurotic bookstore owner Ellen Morgan and her quirky friends.

Ellen made the cover of Time Magazine in April 1997 with the headline, “Yep, I’m Gay.” A few weeks later, Ellen’s character came out as gay during an episode of Ellen while talking to her “therapist,” played by Oprah Winfrey. The beloved comedic show turned to serious matters, discussing LGBTQ issues.

Cancellation of Ellen

Homophobia was rampant in the US during this time, so ABC ran a parental advisory before each episode. The show’s ratings dropped, and ABC canceled it in 1998 after only four years. Ellen was devastated at having the show end.

The Ellen Show

Ellen would return to television in a series titled The Ellen Show in 2001. The show, which aired on CBS, failed to get an audience and was canceled after 13 episodes, with an additional five episodes never airing.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

There was a rise in celebrity talk shows in the 80s and 90s and Ellen jumped on the bandwagon when NBC offered her a daytime spot in 2003. Ellen’s affable comedic personality made her an outstanding talk show host. She was known for dancing and singing with the audience and often gave away prizes and trips, like Oprah. The Ellen Degeneres Show was a huge success, getting 171 Daytime Emmy nominations (winning 61 Emmys), and winning 17 People’s Choice Awards.

Queen of Mean Scandal

The show ran for 19 seasons but was marred by scandal in 2020. Many current and former employees of The Ellen DeGeneres Show claimed the talk show host was not the “Queen of Nice,” but more the “Queen of Mean.” Staff brought up accusations of racism, intimidation, and sexual misconduct, but Ellen DeGeneres denied the claims, saying the one thing she wanted was for staffers to be happy and proud of their work.

Hosting Gigs

Over the years, Ellen DeGeneres has hosted several shows, including the 2001 Emmy Awards, the 2005 Emmy Awards, the 1996 and 1997 Grammy Awards, and the 2007 and 2013 Academy Awards.

What is Ellen Degeneres’s Net Worth?

Ellen DeGeneres net worth has certainly grown since her stand up days in the 1980s. Based on the Degeneres net worth, Forbes said she was the 15th highest paid entertainer in 2018.

The Ellen DeGeneres net worth increased significantly while doing her talk show, as she was paid $287,356 per episode. In summary Ellen DeGeneres currently doesn’t have a television series, but when she does land another show or movie, it will continue to increase the DeGeneres net worth.

Who is Ellen Degeneres?

Ellen is the only daughter of Elizabeth (Betty) Jane and Elliott Everett DeGeneres. She has one brother, Vance; both were raised as Christian Scientists. In her early life Ellen DeGeneres suffered the fate of many – her parents divorced and separated the children. Her mother soon remarried and moved from New Orleans to Atlanta. Betty Jane took Ellen with her while leaving Vance with Elliott. Ellen also stated that her stepfather molested her when she was 15.

Ellen graduated from Atlanta High School in 1976, then attended the University of New Orleans but dropped out after only one semester.

Ellen Degeneres’s Personal Life

Not much is known about Ellen’s personal life before she came out as a lesbian in 1977. She had a highly publicized three-and-a-half-year relationship with actress Anne Heche and dated photographer Alexandra Hedison from 2000 to 2004.

Portia de Rossi

Ellen met her future wife, Portia de Rossi, in 2000, but the two would not start dating until 2004. Their relationship made de Rossi comfortable enough to come out publicly as a lesbian. Because of California’s ban on same-sex marriage, the couple couldn’t marry until 2008. In 2010, Portia legally changed her name to Portia Lee James DeGeneres.

Homes

Some of Ellen DeGeneres net worth comes from buying and selling homes for a profit. In 2004, she purchased a Hollywood Hills home for $6 million that she sold to Nickelodeon president Brian Robbins for $9 million. Ellen sold her Los Angeles mansion to Napster founder Sean Parker after only owning it a few months, making a profit of $15 million. In 2015, Ellen purchased a Beverly Hills home for $16 million and later sold it for $35 million. In 2020, she paid $49 million for comedian Dennis Miller’s home.

Fun Facts About Ellen Degeneres

• Forbes named Ellen the 50th most powerful woman in the world in 2015.
• Ellen is 15 years older than her wife Portia de Rossi.
• Ellen DeGeneres has 77.4 million followers on Twitter and 123 million followers on Instagram.

Ellen DeGeneres FAQs