Ellen DeGeneres's Real Name: Ellen DeGeneres

Quick answer: Ellen DeGeneres's professional and public name is Ellen DeGeneres. She was born on January 26, 1958, in Metairie, Louisiana. Published sources disagree on the spelling of her middle name — Biography.com gives Lea, while Britannica and some Library of Congress notes give Lee — so this page uses the public name. She starred in the sitcom Ellen and hosted The Ellen DeGeneres Show from 2003 to 2022 (Britannica; Biography.com).

Real name and early life

She was born on January 26, 1958, in Metairie, to Betty DeGeneres and a father who worked as an insurance salesman, Biography.com says. Her parents divorced when she was a teenager. She briefly attended the University of New Orleans, then left school and worked a series of jobs, including waitress, bartender, house painter, and oyster shucker, according to Britannica. After trying out a comedy routine for friends, she began performing in local coffeehouses in the late 1970s and later toured comedy clubs.

Career highlights

Showtime named her Funniest Person of the Year in 1982. In 1986 she appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. After her "Phone Call to God" routine, Carson invited her to sit and talk — the first time, Britannica says, that a female comedian had been given that honor on the show.

In 1994 she starred in These Friends of Mine, which was renamed Ellen the following season. In April 1997 her character became the first lead in a U.S. sitcom to come out as gay on air. The episode drew both support and backlash, including an affiliate that declined to air it and some sponsors that withdrew ads; it also won an Emmy Award.

After a period away from the spotlight she launched The Ellen DeGeneres Show in September 2003. The daytime talk show became a long-running hit; Biography.com says it won 64 Daytime Emmys and ended in June 2022 after 19 seasons.

Workplace controversy

In 2020, current and former staffers accused the show of a toxic work environment. DeGeneres apologized on the air when the new season began, saying things "that never should have happened" and that the program had made "necessary changes" and was starting "a new chapter" (AP; BBC). Three producers left the show that summer.

Name notes for searchers

Ellen DeGeneres is the name used in credits and publicity. Biography.com lists Ellen Lea DeGeneres; Britannica lists Ellen Lee DeGeneres. Because those spellings conflict, neither is used in the title.