ELLEN DEGENERES ON TOUR:
As a beloved television icon and entertainment pioneer, Ellen DeGeneres' distinctive comedic voice has resonated with audiences from her first stand-up comedy appearance through her work today on television, in film, and in the literary world.
Ellen DeGeneres has made a home for herself in daytime with her hit syndicated talk show, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." Currently in its 15th season, the show has earned a total of 59 Daytime Emmy® Awards, including 10 for Outstanding Talk Show/Entertainment crowning it the record holder in this category. In addition, DeGeneres has won 12 Teen Choice Awards and she is a 20-time People's Choice Awards winner making her the most decorated individual in the 43-year history of the franchise.
In November 2016, DeGeneres was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom presented by President Obama. The prestigious award is the nation's highest civilian honor and was bestowed on DeGeneres for her extraordinary contributions to notable change and progress in the United States. She was also presented with the 15th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in October 2012.
DeGeneres had the honor of hosting the highly rated 79th Annual Academy Awards® in 2007 and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy® Award in the Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program category. In 2014, DeGeneres hosted the 86th Annual Academy Awards drawing the telecast's largest audience in 14 years and most famously broke the Internet with her star-studded selfie.
DeGeneres also received critical success for her HBO stand-up specials: "The Beginning" received two Primetime Emmy nominations in 2001 and "Here and Now" was nominated for two Primetime Emmys in 2003. Earlier this year, DeGeneres announced she will be returning to her stand-up comedy roots after a 15-year hiatus with a highly anticipated Netflix comedy special set to be released in 2018.
DeGeneres, an accomplished best-selling author, released her first home design book, "HOME," in Fall 2015. Additionally, DeGeneres has had three best-selling books: "Seriously...I'm Kidding," which includes a compilation of comedic observations, quotes, and stories from her life, "The Funny Thing Is...," and "My Point...And I Do Have One."
In June 2015, DeGeneres launched ED Ellen DeGeneres, a lifestyle brand inspired by her iconic style, values, and personality featuring an array of product categories that include women's apparel, footwear, accessories, pet products, bedding and bath, home furnishing and décor, and a collection of baby products. In March 2016, ED teamed up with leading fashion footwear distributor Camuto Group to create a collection of shoes and handbags. In addition, ED launched a line of bedding exclusively for Bed, Bath & Beyond in April 2016. In February 2017, ED launched an exclusive pet collection in partnership with PetSmart, and a collection of furniture, rugs, and tabletop in collaboration with Thomasville, Loloi, and Royal Doulton, respectively, in March 2017. DeGeneres launched her ED baby lifestyle collection in August 2017, available exclusively at buybuy BABY, and she will be expanding her home collection with the addition of outdoor furniture and lighting collections in Fall 2018.The ED brand is available on the brand's flagship e-commerce site, EDbyEllen.com.
DeGeneres' production company, A Very Good Production (AVGP), is producing a wide range of television. Its hit NBC series "Little Big Shots" is entering its third season and has spawned the spin-off "Little Big Shots: Forever Young." DeGeneres serves as host and executive producer of her new NBC primetime reality competition show, "Ellen's Game of Games," which was picked up for a second season. AVGP will premiere two additional shows in 2018, "Splitting Up Together" for ABC and "Green Eggs & Ham" for Netflix. Other AVGP series include NBC's "First Dates," HGTV's "Ellen's Design Challenge," ABC's "Repeat After Me," and NBC's "One Big Happy." AVGP is also developing feature films at Warner Brothers, Disney, Fox Searchlight, and Lionsgate.
DeGeneres has been successful in her feature film work scoring unprecedented popular and critical response to her character, Dory, in the blockbuster animated feature "Finding Nemo." The highly anticipated sequel, "Finding Dory," was released in June 2016 and set the record for the highest-grossing animated film debut at the domestic box office and surpassed the billion-dollar global box office mark.
BACKGROUND SNAPSHOT:
DeGeneres' career began as an emcee at a local comedy club in her hometown of New Orleans. Her acting career in television included roles in several successful sitcoms before being offered a part on "These Friends of Mine" by ABC. Following the first season, the show was renamed "Ellen." Running from 1994 to 1998, the show garnered record ratings with DeGeneres receiving Primetime Emmy nominations each season in the Best Actress category. In 1997, DeGeneres was the recipient of the coveted Peabody Award and earned a Primetime Emmy Award for writing the critically acclaimed "Puppy Episode" where her character came out as a gay woman to a record 46 million viewers.
Both on and off screen, DeGeneres' humanitarian efforts take center stage. Earlier this year, with the help of her wife Portia de Rossi, DeGeneres established The Ellen DeGeneres Wildlife Fund, which supports global conservation efforts for critically endangered species. The first initiative of the fund is to build The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. The campus will permanently secure the future of wild gorillas in Rwanda by building on successful field conservation efforts, while empowering the people living near the gorillas to thrive in relationship to their own ecosystem. This project gives Ellen the opportunity to carry on the legacy of her hero, visionary scientist Dian Fossey, joining her as a protector and champion of the critically endangered mountain gorilla. DeGeneres has also brought awareness to the anti-bullying issue by creating a PSA titled, "Be Kind." Overall, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" has raised over $50 million for various causes, including global warming and breast cancer awareness.
