Shortly following the California Supreme Court approval of same-sex marriages, Ellen DeGeneres, 50, proposed to her girlfriend of 4 years, Australian actress, Portia de Rossi, 35. DeGeneres made the announcement on her talk show on May 15, 2008, the same morning that the Court overturned the ban. They are 1 of thousands of couples hastily rushing the marriage process in fear that the Court verdict may be reversed. At present, there are various conservative and religious groups who are trying to amend the constitution by November and ban gay marriage indefinitely.
The new ruling is a huge step for DeGeneres, who is notorious for using her show to make a stand for gay rights. In fact, she is the first talk show host to come out of the closet, making her very popular with gay rights activists but cast off by many religious organizations.
“So I would like to say now, for the first time, I am announcing: I am getting married,” DeGeneres stated on camera. De Rossi was present in the audience, and joined as everyone stood up and clapped. In the midst of the ovation, DeGeneres joked, “Thank you, I’ll tell you who the lucky guy is soon.” It may be a month or so before the state can begin to issue same-sex licenses; until then de Rossi and DeGeneres will be impatiently planning the wedding.
This wedding will be a first for DeGeneres and a second for de Rossi, who was married to documentary filmmaker Mel Metcalfe for 2 years. Although de Rossi has been involved in other same-sex relationships, it wasn’t until she began to date DeGeneres that she opened up about her sexuality. De Rossi is most notably known for playing Nelle Porter on Ally McBeal, and is currently a star on Nip/Tuck. In 2004, she ranked #24 on Maxim’s 100 Sexiest Women and #31 in Femme Fatale’s Sexiest Women of 2003.
DeGeneres, 15 years older and more of a comedic icon in the media than eye candy, is grateful for the companionship she has found with de Rossi. “I never would have thought my life would have turned out this way. To have money. Or to have a gorgeous girlfriend. I just feel so lucky with everything in my life right now.” In an interview with Allure 2 years ago, DeGeneres said that she hoped that her relationship with de Rossi lasted for the rest of their lives.