What is Ellen DeGeneres' net worth and Salary?
Ellen DeGeneres is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and TV personality who has a net worth of $500 million. Ellen DeGeneres is best known for the sitcom "Ellen," which she created and which ran from 1994 to 1998 as well as the syndicated talk show "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," which aired from 2003 through 2022. Her syndicated show made her extraordinarily rich in Hollywood terms. At her peak, Ellen earned around $60 million in salary from the talk show alone. She earned tens of millions more from endorsements and other hosting jobs.
DeGeneres has won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and 20 People's Choice Awards (a record). In 2016, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 2020 received the Carol Burnett Award at the Golden Globes.
Outside of her entertainment career, Ellen and her wife, Portia de Rossi, are EXTREMELY prolific real estate flippers. They have bought, renovated, and sold literally dozens of mega-mansions around Southern California. We detail some of their biggest real estate flips by year at the end of this article.
Ellen's journey into the limelight began in the world of stand-up comedy during the early 1980s. Her comedic style, blending self-deprecating wit with observational humor, quickly made her a favorite on the comedy circuit. Her big break came in 1986 with a guest appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," where she became the first female comedian to be invited over to the couch during her debut appearance.
Transitioning to television, Ellen starred in a few sitcoms, but it was "Ellen" (originally titled "These Friends of Mine") that brought her mainstream success. The show was groundbreaking, especially when, in 1997, her character came out as gay in a two-part episode titled "The Puppy Episode." Simultaneously, Ellen publicly came out on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," making her one of the first major Hollywood stars to do so.
After "Ellen" ended, she ventured into daytime television with "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2003. The talk show quickly became a sensation, known for its dance segments, generous giveaways, and heartwarming moments. Through her show, Ellen not only entertained but also championed various causes, from animal rights to humanitarian issues. The show's success garnered her numerous awards, including multiple Daytime Emmy Awards.
Ellen's career isn't confined to television. She's been involved in film, notably voicing Dory in Pixar's "Finding Nemo" and its sequel, "Finding Dory." Additionally, she's authored several books and launched her own record company, Eleveneleven.
Salary Highlights
DeGeneres earns a salary of between $75 million and $90 million every year. For example, between June 2018 and June 2019, Ellen earned $80 million from her various endeavors.
(Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Early Life
Ellen DeGeneres was born on January 26, 1958, in Metairie, Louisiana. Her mother, Elizabeth, was a speech therapist, and her father, Elliott, was an insurance agent. She has a brother named Vance DeGeneres who is a musician, comedian, and producer who was at one point a correspondent on "The Daily Show." Her parents divorced in 1974, and her mother remarried and moved with her new husband and Ellen from New Orleans to Atlanta, Texas. Ellen graduated from Atlanta High School in 1976 and moved back to New Orleans to attend the University of New Orleans. She dropped out after one semester to take a clerical job at a law firm. She also worked at J.C. Penney, was a waitress at TGIFridays, house painter, hostess, and bartender.
Career
During the years when Ellen was working all those odd jobs, she also started trying out her stand-up comedy routines at coffee houses and small clubs. By 1981, Ellen was working as the emcee at New Orleans' Clyde's Comedy Club. She began to take her stand-up act on the road nationally in the early 1980s. Showtime named her the Funniest Person in America in 1984. She landed her first regular role on a television show in 1989 on the Fox sitcom "Open House." In 1992, she landed a role on the very short-lived sitcom "Laurie Hill." The producers were so impressed with DeGeneres that she cast her in their next pilot, "These Friends of Mine," on ABC. The show was renamed "Ellen" in its second season. "Ellen's" peak of popularity came in April 1997 when DeGeneres came out as a lesbian on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Her character on the sitcom also came out at that time to her therapist, played by Oprah Winfrey. "Ellen" was canceled in May 1998 after ratings declined due to ABC cutting back on promoting the show.
After the cancelation of her sitcom, DeGeneres returned to the stand-up circuit. She reemerged in 2001 with "The Ellen Show," a CBS sitcom that was canceled after 13 episodes. In 2003, she voiced the role of Dory in "Finding Nemo." She reprised that role in 2012's "Finding Dory."
In the fall of 2003, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" debuted. Today, it is one of the most-watched talk shows on daytime television. In just its first three seasons, the show won 25 Emmy Awards. Ellen celebrated her 100th episode on May 1, 2009. Her 2000th show was in December 2015.
In 2010, DeGeneres became a judge on "American Idol." She replaced Paula Abdul. She left after one season, saying that it "didn't feel like the right fit for me." Starting in the 2017-2018 television season, DeGeneres began hosting the game show "Ellen's Game of Games" on NBC which expands on games played on her talk show.
In May 2021, DeGeneres announced that her talk show would end following the conclusion of season number 19 in 2022. The final episode aired on May 26, 2022, with guests Jennifer Aniston, Pink, and Billie Eilish.
DeGeneres has also hosted the Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, and Academy Awards.
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Personal Life
DeGeneres came out as a lesbian in 1997. That same year, she started dating actress Anne Heche. They dated until August 2000. From 2000 to 2004, DeGeneres was linked to actress Alexandra Hedison. In 2004, she started dating actress Portia de Rossi. They married in August 2008 at their home in Beverly Hills, California.
Ellen and Portia are vegans.
In January 2018, for Ellen's 60th birthday, Portia de Rossi gifted Ellen a permanent gorilla home in Rwanda built in her name for the Digit Fund. This gift was part of a new arm of the Digit Fund, now called the Ellen DeGeneres Wildlife Fund.
Ellen has authored four books and started her own record company called Eleveneleven and the production company A Very Good Production. She also launched the lifestyle brand ED Ellen DeGeneres, which sells apparel, accessories, and baby, home, and pet items.
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Real Estate
Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi are serial house flippers. The couple has bought and sold more than 20 properties since 2003. In 2019 alone, DeGeneres and de Rossi sold properties for $6.98 million, $15.5 million, and $23 million.
Here's a quick rundown list of their most notable purchases and sales:
2003: DeGeneres bought a home in the Hollywood Hills for $6 million. She sold the four-bedroom, four-and-a-half bathroom property to Will Ferrell three years later for $9 million.
2004: She paid $1.275 million for a midcentury-style Hollywood Hills home nicknamed "the treehouse" due to its 2,000 square feet of outdoor living spaces. She sold the two-bedroom, two-bathroom property for $2.1 million one year later to late actor Heath Ledger.
2007: DeGeneres and de Rossi acquired a mansion in Montecito, California, for $15.75 million. They sold it for $20 million that same year.
2008: The couple paid $29 million for a 9,200-square-foot property in Beverly Hills and then bought the two surrounding homes to incorporate into the estate. They got married at this house. By 2012, they had sold the compound to Ryan Seacrest for $37 million. That same year, DeGeneres bought a horse ranch in Thousand Oaks, California, for $8.5 million. After renovating the property, she sold it in 2013 for $10.85 million.
2011: The couple bought Brad Pitt's former Malibu home for $12 million. They sold it a year later for $13 million.
2012: They paid almost $40 million for a Holmby Hills home called the Brody House and then sold the lavish property for $55 million just six months later to Sean Parker. That same year, the couple shelled out $13.2 million for a pair of adjacent condos in Los Angeles. Three years later, they sold the residences for $11.85 million.
2015: They bought a four-bedroom, eight-bathroom Beverly Hills villa for $16 million and sold it three years later for $35 million.
2018: They bought a mansion in Beverly Hills for $15 million in 2018. Less than a year later, they said goodbye to the five-bedroom property with a $15.5 million sale. That same year, they paid $6.7 million for a ranch in Santa Barbara. They sold it for $6.98 million a year later to Nickelodeon president Brian Robbins.
In 2018, they also paid $27 million for a Bali-inspired mansion in Montecito, California. Soon after the purchase, they paid $1.9 million for a property next door. In October 2020 they listed the property for sale for $40 million. A month later, they accepted a $33 million offer.
2019: The couple bought a five-bedroom, 12-bathroom, newly renovated mansion in Beverly Hills from Adam Levine for $45 million. They sold this house in April 2021 for $47 million.
2020: In November, Ellen and Portia bought comedian Dennis Miller's home in Montecito, California, for $49 million. The purchase price of the 4-acre property came close to setting a record for the area.
2021: In May 2021, Ellen and Portia paid $14.3 million for a ranch in Montecito which they actually previously owned from 2017 to 2018. Soon after the purchase, they paid $12 million for the home next door.
In September 2021, Ellen and Portia paid $8.5 million for a home in Beverly Hills. Two months later, they sold the Dennis Miller property, which they had owned for exactly one year, for $55 million. In other words, they made $6 million holding the property for 12 months. They did not perform any major renovations.
2022: In February 2022, Ellen and Portia paid $21 million for a property in Montecito known as "Villa Tragara." The 2.5-acre property features a 12,000-square-foot mansion. In September 2022, Ellen and Portia sold this home to music producer Scooter Braun for $36 million. In April 2022, Ellen and Portia paid $13.5 million for yet another home in Montecito. Here is a video tour of Villa Tragara:
2023: In June of 2023, Ellen and Portia paid $22.5 million for an 8-acre estate in Montecito called "Pompeiian Court." Pompeiian Court was originally built in 1919 and is considered one of the finest estates in Montecito. It is described as a "classic Roman courtyard residence," with all the rooms opening to a central courtyard. There's a main house, two guest houses, an art studio, and a pool cabana. The estate was fully renovated by the couple in just under four months of ownership. On October 16, 2023, Ellen and Portia listed it for sale for $46.5 million. They sold this property in mid-2024 for $32 million to mining billionaire Robert Friedland. That name will be important in a moment. Here is a video tour of Pompeiian Court from when the estate was listed after the renovation:
Carpinteria Estate
In December 2022, Ellen and Portia paid $70 million for a 10-acre oceanfront property in Carpinteria, California, just south of Santa Barbara and Montecito. With the purchase, they acquired a 9,000-square-foot mansion and the undeveloped 6.6-acre garden property (with a lake!) next door. The property had originally been listed in August 2021 for $160 million, but that price included an additional 9,000-square-foot mansion, which Ellen and Portia did not acquire. The seller was hedge fund billionaire Bruce Kovner, who began developing the 22-acre property with his wife Suzie in 2007. Bruce and Suzie paid $100 million to acquire the land that they eventually named Sanctuary at Loon Point. They then spent $50 million renovating the two existing homes and developing the landscaping. Amazingly, Ellen and Portia sold the property less than two years later for $96 million. The buyer was Robert Friedland. And as it turned out, around the time of the sale of this Carpinteria property, Ellen and Portia re-acquired "Pompeiian Court" from Robert Friedland for the same $32 million they sold it to him for earlier in the year. Here is a video of Sanctuary at Loon Point:
