Ellen DeGeneres & More LGBTQ+ Celebs Who’ve Navigated Public Romances

And it turns out Portia, 53, was very good at hiding her feelings because Ellen, 68, admitted it wasn’t until they began dating in 2004 that she learned of her massive crush. 

“I didn’t know until we got together,” the talk show host—whose romance with Portia bloomed after reconnecting at VH1’s Big in ’04 awards show—she told O, The Oprah Magazine in 2009, “when she finally told me how she was feeling.”

Ellen and Portia tied the knot in 2008 during the brief period in California when same-sex marriage had been legal before it was dismantled again through the passage of ballot initiative Proposition 8 later that year. (The Supreme Court ultimately dismissed Prop 8 in 2013.)

“It feels like you’re home,” Ellen said of their union. “There’s an anchor. There’s a safety. We are all equal citizens, and we should have the same rights that anybody else on this earth has.”

“I feel very fortunate,” she emphasized. “I feel really, really lucky that I found that connection.” 

For Ellen—who moved to the English countryside with Portia in 2024—her wife has continued to transform her life for the better.

“I think I’m healthier than I’ve ever been,” she added. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I’m more myself. I can’t stress that enough. I think kindness is the key to yourself and to other people.”

“I found out who I was and I think I really try to be a better person every single day,” Ellen added. “And [Portia] makes me better.”

For a closer look at Ellen and Portia’s love story, as well as celebs like Lily-Rose Depp, Rebel Wilson, Kristen Stewart and more, keep reading.