50 Things You Probably Didn't Know about Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres is one of America's most well-known comedians, with her own popular talk show and is a staunch animal rights activist. Here are 50 other interesting things about Ellen.

1. Ellen DeGeneres was born January 26, 1958 in Metairie, Louisiana.

2. Ellen is of French, Irish, English and German descent.

3. After her parents split, she moves with her mother to Texas. While her mother struggles with breast cancer, she is being secretly molested by her stepfather. After she graduates high school and moves back to New Orleans, she finally tells her mother the truth.

4. Before her big break in comedy, Ellen worked as a bartender, a paralegal, a vacuum cleaner saleswoman, TGIFriday's waitress and an oyster shucker in New Orleans.

5. She began performing stand-up in 1981 and was named Showtime's "Funniest Person in America" just one year later.

6. Madonna is DeGeneres' eleventh cousin.

7. Ellen's first comedy job was in 1981, she emceed at Clyde's Comedy Club, where she started to record her stand-up performances.

8. .She was named Showtime's "Funniest Person in America" in 1982 -- and is still making us laugh till today.

9. Following a 1986 appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Carson invited Ellen over to the couch for an interview. It was a first for any female comedian.

10. Ellen DeGeneres turned down a role in Friends before starring in Ellen.

11. She was originally offered Sandra Bullock's role in Speed in 1994.

12. She began starring in her own sitcom, Ellen, in 1994 and the show ran for 4 years.

13. Ellen DeGeneres became an author in 1995 when she penned the comical, "My Point... and I Do Have One."The book climbed to the number one slot on the New York Times bestsellers list. It also stayed on the "Publishers Weekly" bestseller list for 24 weeks.

14. In 1997, DeGeneres came out as a lesbian on her popular sitcom Ellen to Oprah who was acting as her therapist.

15. She then played the first gay lead character on TV. Unfortunately, she show was cancelled a year later.

16. As a film actress, she starred in Mr. Wrong, appeared in EDtv and The Love Letter.

17. She split with girlfriend Anne Heche after being together for 3 years. Heche is found behaving strangely on the outskirts of Fresno, Calif., and is briefly hospitalized. The following year, she marries cameraman Coleman Laffoon.

18. DeGeneres quickly finds new love with actress/photographer Alexandra Hedison. Ellen's mother approved of the relationship. "As a mother, I'm just happy to see my child happy," Betty says, "so much has happened to Ellen, she's been so devastated," she told the New York Post.

19. Ellen has her very own ride at Disney called Ellen's Energy Adventure which is a popular attraction at the Epcot Future World park.

20. She was the voice of Dory in "Finding Nemo."

21. American Express signs DeGeneres as one of its spokespeople for a global ad campaign. Photographer Annie Leibovitz shoots the print ads, and humorous TV commercials feature DeGeneres dancing and working with animal colleagues.

22. Ellen decided to get healthier and quit smoking in the year 2005.

23. Ellen collects antique mirrors and portraits.

24. Ellen DeGeneres loves tennis.

25. The best seat at the studio where "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" is recorded is reserved for Ellen's mom, Betty.

26. Her talk show has been a success. The show has won a total of 33 Daytime Emmy Awards, including four for Outstanding Talk Show (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007) and three for Outstanding Talk Show Entertainment (2010, 2011, 2013).

27. She made a hilarious campaign on her talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show in which she pleaded with Oprah to be featured on the cover of her magazine. Oprah usually appears alone, except for the cover in April 2009 which featured First Lady Michelle Obama. Oprah finally said yes!

    This is what the real cover looked like:

28. She is very punctual and interviewers at magazines like Good Housekeeping and O, The Oprah Magazine said she always arrived early for interviews and for the photo shoots.

29. She challenged Michelle Obama to a push-up contest and lost.

30. In 2009, DeGeneres was named as the replacement for Paula Abdul as a judge on American Idol. She left the show after one season.

31. She uses an elliptical machine to help her keep in shape now while she watches one of her favorite TV channels, "Animal Planet."

32. Ellen DeGeneres is an active PETA member.

33. She has two dogs named Bootsie and Muffin.

34. In November 2011, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton named her a Special Envoy for Global AIDS Awareness

35. She wrote The Funny Thing Is... in 2003 and then Seriously...I'm Kidding in 2011.

36. Ellen set up a 'Hurricane Katrina' relief fund, that raised seven million dollars.

37. She and Portia De Rossi have been together since 2004. They married in August 2008 in their home in California.

38. Ellen gave Portia a beautiful 3 carat diamond ring.

39. She is 5' 7½" (1.71 m) tall.

40. Her last name is pronounced "duh-generous".

41. She started her own record label, eleveneleven in 2010 as an ode to her love for music.

42. She is only the second woman to host the Oscars on her own. The first was Whoopi Goldberg.

43. DeGeneres is an ethical vegan who calls herself a "big animal lover".

44. She intended to open a vegan tapas bar, Bokado, in Los Angeles, but unfortunately the plans did not materialize.

45. In 2008, she becomes a CoverGirl and is featured in a series of hilarious ads with fellow covergirl, Sofia Vergara.

46. Ellen bought one of the ritziest homes in Los Angeles in January 2014 for $39,888,000, according to TMZ. It sits on 2.3 acres. The main house is 13,511 square feet with 6 bedrooms, 9 1/2 bathrooms. It has a pool, pool house, gym, spa, and tennis court.

47. She sold her sold her nearby estate for $21 million after buying it for $17.4 million. She loves architecture and flipping homes.

48. She did a hilarious dramatic reading of Fifty Shades of Grey.

49. She is full of energy and is known for getting her TV show audience up and dancing.

50. Ellen 2012, she won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. "It's such an honor to receive the Mark Twain Prize. To get the same award that has been given to people like Bill Cosby, Tina Fey and Will Ferrell, it really makes me wonder... why didn't I get this sooner?"

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)