From that point, the show evolved from its beginnings as an ensemble effort into a showcase for DeGeneres. The series was originally titled These Friends of Mine, but was renamed in 1994. Her wit won over audiences, and DeGeneres finally found success as an actress with her own prime-time sitcom - the self-titled television series, Ellen. She was also profiled in detail on ABC's PrimeTime Live. As a result of that engagement, DeGeneres appeared on The Tonight Show and earned the distinction of being the only female comic to be invited by Johnny Carson to sit on the famed "couch" during her first visit.ĭeGeneres then began making regular appearances on the talk show circuit, including performances on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Later with Greg Kinnear, Larry King Live, and Good Morning, America. She got her big debut in 1986 when, acting on a tip from Jay Leno, The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson sent a booking agent to catch her act at the Improv in Hollywood. Stand-up ComedyĪt the age of 23, DeGeneres began performing at a local coffeehouse. She began performing in 1981, bolstered by her mother's moral and financial support. She was a hit, and received offers to do stand-up comedy. Then once, during a public speaking event, DeGeneres found herself frightened by the crowd and used humor to get through the experience. When she was growing up, DeGeneres dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, but she gave up the idea because she was "not book smart." Instead, she waited tables, sold vacuum cleaners, painted houses and worked as a legal secretary.ĭeGeneres's older brother, Vance, an actor/comedian and former correspondent for The Daily Show, was long considered the humorous member of the family. Early LifeĭeGeneres was born January 26, 1958, in Metairie, Louisiana, to an insurance salesman and a working mother who divorced when DeGeneres was a teenager. She has been the host of her own award-winning talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, since 2003, and married girlfriend Portia de Rossi in 2008. In 1997, she came out as gay, and became a staunch advocate of LGBTQ rights. Ellen DeGeneres hit it big as a stand-up comedian before starring on her own sitcom, Ellen.
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