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Entertainment August 10, 2017
Meet everyone's favorite CoverGirl ... and comedian.
Beloved talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has become a household name all over the world. At this point, it’s hard to picture the world without her sense of humor and admirable character.
And for someone that has as big an impact as her, it’s no surprise that her net worth is massive.
Ellen DeGeneres’s official net worth in 2017 is $330 million, according to The Gazette Review. This fortune is likely to continue moving up, though. In fact, Forbes reported that she currently earns around $77 million a year, and much of this comes from her hit show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
But how has this hilarious talk show host turned belly laughs into a multimillion dollar empire?
Ellen was a standup comedian from 1994 to 1998. She started off in small comedy clubs before becoming a regular performer at Clyde’s Comedy Club in New Orleans. Then, during her comedy tour across the U.S. in the 1980s, Showtime named her the “Funniest Person in America.”
However, it was her guest appearances on talk shows that truly pulled her into the spotlight.
Her first big break was when she starred on, “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Carson” in 1983. According to the Huffington Post, she made history that day as the first female comedian guest star on the legendary talk show.
After this performance, she guest-starred on the wildly popular talk shows of Larry King, David Letterman and Oprah Winfrey. According to The Verge, DeGeneres will be going back to her roots with a Netflix comedy special in 2017. This will be her first stand-up in 15 years.
Ellen was not always the hilarious, popular talk show host we know and love today.
Her original show, “Ellen,” only became significantly more popular after the “Puppy Episode,” where Ellen came out as a lesbian to Oprah Winfrey. Two days later, Ellen DeGeneres, out of character, came out on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” The online publication, A.V. Club, reported that she timed her announcement on the talk show with the date the episode was broadcasted.
The same day she came out on national television, TIME wrote an expose about Ellen’s announcement. Of course, the “still” portion of the cover was recently added to the photo by the hilarious talk show host.
The “Puppy Episode” brought in 42 million viewers and it also won a Peabody Award. However, the network decided to drop the show after Ellen publicly opened up about her sexuality. Since ABC focuses on being “family friendly,” it was reported that several sponsors felt the topic of homosexuality was too controversial.
The show was ultimately canceled in 1998, but Ellen’s career had much more to come.
Ellen’s famous talk show aired in 2003 and has become the foundation of her fame and fortune. The show averages roughly 4 million views per episode and TV Guide estimates that it earns roughly $8 million annually.
On April 30, the show made history with its 10th Emmy, which ties Ellen with Oprah for the title of the most awarded daytime talk show host.
“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” is currently in its 14th season and Variety reported that in 2016 it was renewed for three more seasons through 2020.
Ellen is now creating her own platform, something similar to the Oprah Winfrey Network. The main difference, however, is that it will all be online. Ellen Digital Ventures is Ellen DeGeneres’s new online production company, which encompasses several of her media ventures.
In 2014, she launched the website, Ellentube, which shows videos from her show online. The site shows exclusive previews for upcoming episodes as well. She also turned the game “Heads Up,” which she plays on her talk show, into a popular mobile app. All of these types of projects are now being done under the umbrella of Ellen Digital Ventures, according to Fortune.
With a net worth of over $300 million, of course Ellen lives in luxury. According to Realty Today, Ellen DeGeneres bought the $39.8 million “Brody House” in Los Angeles in 2014. And to make things even more impressive, the neighboring house is Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Mansion. Ellen’s six-bedroom home is over 13,000 square feet and covers 2.3 acres.
The property is impressive, but given Ellen’s real estate history, her stay may be short lived. Ellen and her wife Portia de Rossi have made a hobby of buying, flipping and selling houses in Southern California. Though she never buys a house with the intention to sell, she has bought and sold over 12 houses in the last 25 years, according to People Magazine.
This love of home buying is very personal to Ellen DeGeneres. She told the LA Times, “I didn’t grow up in a house. We moved around a lot and we always lived in apartments.” She goes on to say that this experience has always made her long to live in a house. During her run as a stand-up comedian, she bought and sold her first home in West Hollywood. The rest was history.
When Ellen DeGeneres was growing up, she dreamed of being an interior designer and she certainly is in her own life. She also wrote the book “Home” in 2015 to guide her readers through the process of making their house their own through decorating.
While Ellen is best known for her sharp comedic wit, she has also made an appearance in the beauty world. According to Go Banking Rates, Ellen DeGeneres has various brand sponsorship deals that are contributing to her sizable net worth.
In 2009, she was the face of CoverGirl and she continues to work with this company today. She was also the spokeswoman for American Express and J.C. Penny at one point. In addition, Ellen launched her lifestyle brand, ED by Ellen, in 2015, which sells home decor, accessories and apparel.
And with all this money, there are no bounds to Ellen’s generosity. In 2016, she earned the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Humanitarian. It is well deserved because she has reportedly donated over $50 million on her show, according to She Knows.
DeGeneres also donated over $10 million to victims after Hurricane Katrina and she raised $12.5 million for breast cancer research. As an outspoken animal rights advocate, she also donated $25,000 to the Humane Society of the United States, reported Ecorazzi.
Thank you, Ellen. For your generosity, sense of humor and positive impact on this world. We can’t wait to see what you have in store for us next!
