Ellen DeGeneres Almost Gave Up On Portia de Rossi Before The Two Began Dating

June 12, 2024

Highlights

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi confronted demanding situations due to de Rossi being closeted after they first met, but their love prevailed.
DeGeneres published her fears for de Rossi's protection, showing the intensity of their bond past just their public personas.
During a poisonous administrative center scandal, de Rossi was DeGeneres' rock, proving their unwavering support for each different in difficult occasions.

Ellen DeGeneres began her career as a comedian and made her manner onto television with the sitcom Ellen. When DeGeneres got here out as gay, she made her sitcom persona do the same. This led to a major second in tv historical past which would pave the means for different LGBTQ+ characters.

During her run on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, DeGeneres announced her courting and eventual marriage to actress Portia de Rossi.

However, when the two first met, de Rossi was still in the closet and not ready for the kind of attention dating someone of DeGeneres' stature would bring. DeGeneres herself would reveal she had even given up seeking to pursue de Rossi before the two formally began dating.

Portia Was Still In The Closet When She First Met Ellen

In 2009, DeGeneres and de Rossi appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show for their first interview as a married couple. During the chat, Winfrey asked de Rossi when she knew DeGeneres was "the one."

"When I first laid eyes on her," de Rossi said. "But it took me three years to actually tell her how I felt about her, because I was on Ally McBeal at the time and I was not living as an openly gay person. I was closeted and very, very afraid that if I talked about being gay it would be the end of my career. So I then wasn't about to date the most famous lesbian in the world."

According to de Rossi, the two first met socially, where she mentioned she "felt that immediate draw." But it wasn't until a photo shoot that de Rossi mentioned issues took a significant flip.

"I just walked over to say hello to her and, I couldn't believe it, but she turned around and it was like an arrow was shot through my heart," de Rossi stated. "I felt weak at the knees and I was overwhelmed with how I felt."

Ellen DeGeneres Wasn't Pleased After Her Producer Cut A "Failed" Segment Short With John Krasinski

During an appearance with John Krasinski, DeGeneres' producer wasn't pleased with how the segment was going.

De Rossi stated it took her ten months before she got the braveness to behave on her feelings. Winfrey then requested DeGeneres if she used to be "trying to shoot an arrow."

"No, I had completely given up," DeGeneres mentioned. "We met a while back, and I felt like we had a connection. I didn't feel anything back and I just [thought], 'Okay well, I just have feelings for her.'"

Ellen Once Revealed That She Worries About Portia When They're Apart

In 2018, DeGeneres was interviewed for The New York Times and spoke about her marriage. During the interview, DeGeneres spoke a couple of horrifying incident when de Rossi fell from a horse and were given a concussion.

DeGeneres wasn't with her spouse at the time and heard the news when de Rossi known as her on the phone. According to the article, DeGeneres tensed up and asked de Rossi, "What do you mean? Is anything broken? Baby!"

De Rossi grew to become out to be k, however the revel in left DeGeneres feeling shaken.

"This is my biggest fear," DeGeneres advised the outlet. "I’m scared all the time for her."

When the actress returned house, DeGeneres pleaded, "Baby, stop riding horses!"

At the time, DeGeneres was selling her Netflix comedy particular Relatable. DeGeneres stated the stand-up particular would show more of her persona than she got to explore on her daylight hours communicate show.

DeGeneres also said this was once a part of the explanation why de Rossi was encouraging her to transport on from The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

"She’s just a bit more complicated than she appears on the show," de Rossi defined. "There’s more range of emotion [in Relatable]."

"I just think she’s such a brilliant actress and stand-up that it doesn’t have to be this talk show for her creativity," she continued. "There are other things she could tackle."

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In order to tug off a foolish gag, Al and plenty of extras needed to endure a troublesome enjoy on set.

And while DeGeneres is protective of her spouse, de Rossi is also protecting of DeGeneres. The comic revealed to the outlet de Rossi's advice for her before sitting down for the interview.

"Portia said, 'Just remember, the nicer they are, the more they are going to screw you,'" DeGeneres published.

Portia Was Ellen's "Rock" During Her Toxic Workplace Scandal

In 2021, DeGeneres and de Rossi covered People, the place they spoke candidly about their marriage. DeGeneres had not too long ago come out of a scandal the place she was once accused of fostering a poisonous paintings environment on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

During the wide-ranging discussion, DeGeneres published that de Rossi helped her through the tough length.

"It broke my heart; I couldn't have gone through everything I went through without her," DeGeneres said. "It was a horrible time in my life, and she was a rock. She kept me going and tried to help me put things in perspective."

De Rossi also informed the outlet that once she's excluding her spouse, DeGeneres "has the hotel put rose petals in the shape of a love heart on my bed."

"Every single time over the last 16 years. And it always catches me off-guard," de Rossi mentioned.

DeGeneres also stated that de Rossi will "leave little notes around if she's going somewhere, which is really sweet. She's just thoughtful."

The couple additionally said that they wouldn't allow their busy schedules to come back in between their dating.

"We've grown together as a couple, and we really consider each other and put our relationship first," de Rossi mentioned. "By doing that, you become a lot more solid. I can't imagine spending time with anyone but her."

How Ellen DeGeneres Survived The Backlash After Coming Out

Ellen DeGeneres almost lost the whole thing, but she bounced back in a big method.

DeGeneres and de Rossi were then requested what they love most about every other.

"To start superficially, I love the way she looks. I love her brain; she's smart. That's really important," DeGeneres said. "She's strong. She's confident. She's really funny. And she's a good dresser and a good dancer. She's learning to cook."

De Rossi then stated, "Wow, how do I top that? She is the kindest, most generous, most loving, loyal, trustworthy person I have ever known. She's a very special human being. Some of it sometimes rubs off on me."

"We're lucky to have each other," DeGeneres added. "We practice a lot of gratitude."

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