Beyond The Headlines: Inside Ellen And Portia’s Love Story

This article will give you the full timeline of their relationship from beginning to end.

1. Portia and Ellen met at a party in 2000. 

Among the many pretty couples that are all over Hollywood, Ellen and Portia might be cutest. Their affair began when they bumped into each other at a party in 2000. By then, it was still gay.

This is what she confessed during an interview with Portia. Even though she had feelings for her, De Rossi couldn’t express herself as yet because she had not accepted being gay or lesbian. When De Rossi came out of the closet, she revealed that while she first fell in love with DeGeneres.

2. The two reconnected four years later. 

De Rossi told Oprah Winfrey that since their initial encounter, she could never forget about Ellen. It was during a photo shoot in 2004 where destiny brought the two together again by coincidence so to speak and this became the opportunity of reconciling one’s heart with one’s mind, which eventually took away breath from Ellen.

But after some time, they met up again at VH1’s Big in’04 Award Show on the same day. They had conversation and you know the rest is history. That day itself marked such strong emotions for Portia- something like those ones described in books.

3. Ellen and Portia started officially dating in 2004.

As soon as the pair realized how they felt about each other, they needed to put their personal lives in order. At the photoshoot, they were both in relationships with other people. Ellen had been in a  four-year relationship with photographer Alexandra Hedison. 

Portia was also dating. She was dating director Francesca Gregorini for close to two years. Both of them had a difficult time concluding their respective connections. But it needed to be done so Ellen and Portia could start their journey.

4. Portia and Ellen make their relationship public. 

Having been in previous relationships, the couple was finally ready to announce publicly that they were dating. In 2005, the couple made their debut appearance together at a Golden Globe Awards after party. It was already huge for them to walk on the red carpet but that they did so together only made tabloids go berserk.  

The couple was all smiles and loving during the event. One of De Rossi’s first times on public with such a high profile star as Ellen. Portia however got scared for sometime but she says her love for Ellen overcame her fear of being declared gay.

5. Ellen’s effect on Portia coming out as gay.

The couple was all smiles and loving during the event. One of De Rossi’s first times on public with such a high profile star as Ellen. Portia however got scared for sometime but she says her love for Ellen overcame her fear of being declared gay.

The couple was all smiles and loving during the event. One of De Rossi’s first times on public with such a high profile star as Ellen. Portia however got scared for sometime but she says her love for Ellen overcame her fear of being declared gay.

6. The couple moved in together soon after. 

Together, then, the family took the fateful decision that they would cohabit. They had wanted to get married but unfortunately same-sex marriages were illegal in the US then. Towards the end of 2005, De Rossi took part in an appearance with Ellen at the Golden Globes and she never left.

Ellen told people magazine in 2005 that when they weren’t strolling together, they watched television. For this reason, they both wore platinum rings on their left hand ring fingers as a symbol of their union. In this article, there was also talk about marriage and children.

7. What it meant to be gay in Hollywood for the couple. 

The situation for LGBTQIA+ community was so different in early 2000s. While Ellen publicly expressed her sexuality during an interview hosted by Oprah Winfrey in 1997, her costar didn’t acknowledge being gay until much later into her career. However, it wasn’t all roses for Ellen when she came out as gay.

There were some negative articles written about her and her show called “Ellen”. The joke of Ellen’s character being revealed as gay lasted only a second before ABC cancelled the sitcom entirely. She revealed that she felt like giving up and didn’t know if she’d ever work again.

8. Both Portia and Ellen love animals. 

It is public knowledge that Portia and Ellen have a great love for animals. They were able to save three cats and four dogs since they relocated together. They don’t just stop at pets, their love of animals extends to being fierce animal rights activists.

The couple moved home and went on the farm in California during this journey. On the farm, De Rossi saw her new mare mingling with cows and changed her perspective on veganism and eating meat forever. After then incident, Portia admits that she has never tasted meat again. Soon after, the couple adopted a vegan lifestyle.

9. Portia and Ellen wed in 2008. 

Basically, in May 2008, the Supreme Court of California declared gay marriage ban unconstitutional. This made it possible for Ellen and Portia to be married legally.Ellen had intended to spring a commitment ceremony as a surprise for Portia during their shared birthday party in 2008. But she dropped this idea after the landmark ruling.

Ellen took that chance to propose to Portia. Portia agreed while the two got married later same year. The ceremony was private with close relatives and friends present during its performance . It happened at their L.A house where they said their vows sitting on floor cushions situated strategically in the living room.

10. The couple loves buying homes together.

The couple got a mansion in Montecito, California for 15 million dollars in 2007. They then disposed of it to Heath Ledger just after a year. In the same year 2008 Ellen and Portia bought a property measuring 9200 square feet at $29 million. This property would later become the home where they got married at that same year.

It was also sold in 2012 to celebrity host and producer Ryan Seacrest for thirty-seven million dollars.Ellen says that they had many amazing memories from the house. She said it was beautiful, and they both adored living there. They bought another one in Thousand Oaks, California worth $8.5m.

11. The age gap between Ellen and Portia.

Ellen may not look like it or act like it but she was born in 1958 and as of 2022 is sixty four years old.Portia is forty nine meaning there is almost fifteen years difference between them.As per the presenter of the talk show, age gap never bothered them.

In her interview with People magazine back in 2005, Ellen admitted sometimes forgetting her age.She claimed this occurred only when she wanted to start having children.Most couples who live within Hollywood do have similar gaps between their ages.It has become rather conventional…

12. The couple has dealt with nasty divorce rumors.

No Hollywood couple is immune from the rumors, more so if you’re a famous TV host and one of the most famous same-sex couples in the world. Although the stories got pretty serious in 2014, they started soon after their marriage in 2008.

Although both have denied the rumors, it has done little to stop it. Most of the gossip is based on the fact that there’s a considerable age gap and other marital troubles. Portia even joked and said that at least the tabloids were treating them like any other Hollywood couple.

13. Portia changed her name in 2010.

Portia and Ellen tied the knot in 2008, but it took Portia two more years to change her name. This was followed by submission of her papers in 2010, after which she got a name change after a month. Portia de Rossi was now Portia Lee James DeGeneres.

That said, this name alteration wasn’t the first time she changed her name. At just fifteen years old, the actress legally changed her name from Amanda Rogers to Portia De Rossi—her new surname being that of Italian writer Cesare Pavesa. She cited difficulties with identity as one of the reasons behind changing names.

14. The DeGeneres’ tenth anniversary.

For any couple, celebrating ten years is like a milestone. All those rumors and tabloid stories were nothing compared to ten years together. They both posted throwback pictures on social media in 2018 to celebrate their wedding day.

Ten years ago today; this was such a special day for us,” wrote Ellen on Instagram. It was during this week that De Rossi would join her spouse on The Ellen Show. “It makes me so happy when my wife is here,” tweeted Ellen DeGeneres later that same week.”

15. Ellen’s 60th birthday gift.

Over the years, this couple has always denied multiple rumors that had been circulating about them to prove how tight they have grown for each other. In a unique birthday surprise on the Ellen DeGeneres show, De Rossi surprised Ellen with a thoughtful one-of-a-kind gift. Portia gave away Gorilla Sanctuary to Ellen.

Ellen was not hiding her love for animals. One of those she admired is Dian Fossey who was an environmentalist. For her to come up with something memorable and outstanding present for birthday, Portia knew it had to be extraordinary. She says it just needed to be something that Ellen loved and defined her as herself.

16. The couple doesn’t fib. 

But unlike most couples, they are different. They believe in openness. Their secret is keeping their marriage strong as Porsche DeRossi disclosed when she spoke to Entertainment Tonight about her relationship with Ellen.

As she uttered during the interview “we’re just really good friends, and we talk about everything, and we never ever ever lie to each other, like, not even the tiniest lies.” The two seem open about every part of their lives which seems useful in keeping their relationship alive over time.

17. They love showing affection to each other.  

This couple does not mind showing their affection for each other in public. This could be at home, on their show, or on the red carpet. They first appeared as an item together at the 2005 Golden Globe awards. The couple returned to the red carpet after fifteen years of being married.

At the 2020 Golden Globe Awards, they walked up hand in hand on the red carpet in matching black suits. Their outfits were dazzling and they posed for photographs on the red carpet. During the award show, Ellen was honored with the Carol Burnett Award.

18. The couple likes pranking each other. 

Some couples will do anything to make sure that their marriage is strong. The DeGeneres’ keep things interesting in different ways in their marriage. There are pranks that range from small to large-scale ones (sick: Ellen DeGeneres). If you have watched any episodes of her daytime program, then you know she is a worthy queen of tricks even at home!

When it comes to funny pranks, Ellen’s guests never know what hit them and neither do Portia and Ellen themselves – they seemingly prank all day long! This couple knows how to enjoy themselves indoors; like workout pranks and hiding places inside closets where they wait silently only to jump out suddenly when one least expects it.

19. They had to deal with rumors of an open marriage. 

Regrettably, this couple has had to face issues regarding pregnancies, fights, and divorces. But one unpleasant story they came across was that Portia and Ellen wanted an open marriage. They were told by an unidentified informant that the pair had disagreed about their relationship status.

The anonymous source which is well connected to the couple says that they have reached a new crossroads. It is said that Portia suggested opening up their relationship but Ellen was having none of it. There are whispers circulating in some quarters that Ellen was so mad at Portia for even bringing it up.

20. Ellen and Portia adopted a vegan lifestyle. 

Many people do not realize the difference between being vegan and adopting a vegan lifestyle. In 2008, both decided to become vegans together. After learning about factory farming and animal cruelty in these places, she made up her mind.”

The couple appeared on Rachael Ray Show in 2012 to discuss their vegan lifestyle. Apart from weight loss there are many benefits of going vegan according to Ellen that most people don’t know about. You never have to count calories either and worry about what you eat anyway according to her.”