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Wife Portia de Rossi - Like her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, DeGeneres was born in January.

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Mama Betty -

Her journey begins with her mom, Betty DeGeneres, with whom DeGeneres is very close.

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Stand-up - She began her career as a stand-up comedian.

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Start in television - In the early 1990s, she was a regular on shows like 'Open House' and 'Laurie Hill.'

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'Coneheads' -

In 1993, DeGeneres appeared in the film 'Coneheads.'

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'Roseanne' -

In 1995, she appeared in 'Roseanne.'

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'Mr. Wrong' - In 1996, she had her first starring role in a film, 'Mr. Wrong,' alongside Bill Pullman.

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Coming out - DeGeneres came out as a lesbian in 1997.

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Oprah - She made the announcement on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show.'

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First Emmy win - That same year, she won her first Emmy, in the category of Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.

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Ramifications - Like DeGeneres, actress Laura Dern saw few acting roles come her way after appearing in the coming out episode of 'Ellen.'

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Anne Heche - DeGeneres began dating actress Anne Heche shortly after coming out publicly.

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'Goodbye Lover' - DeGeneres appeared alongside Patricia Arquette in 'Goodbye Lover' in 1998.

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'Mad About You' - In 1998, she made a small appearance on popular TV show 'Mad About You.'

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'The Larry Sanders Show' - She made two appearances on 'The Larry Sanders Show' from 1996 to 1998.

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'Doctor Dolittle' -

She voiced a dog in 'Doctor Dolittle' in 1998.

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From 'Ellen' to 'Edtv' - By the time she appeared in 'Edtv' with Matthew McConaughey in 1999, her sitcom 'Ellen' had been cancelled.

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'The Love Letter' -

She starred alongside Tom Selleck in 'The Love Letter' in 1999.

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'If These Walls Could Talk 2' - She played Sharon Stone's lover in the TV movie 'If These Walls Could Talk 2' in 2000, which was directed by her girlfriend Anne Heche.

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Alexandra Hedison - By 2001, DeGeneres was dating Alexandra Hedison.

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Hosting the Emmys - DeGeneres hosted the Emmys in 2001.

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That Björk dress - She famously wore Björk's swan dress during the ceremony.

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'Will & Grace' and 'Reaching Normal' - DeGeneres appeared on 'Will & Grace' in 2001. Also in 2001, she had a role in 'Reaching Normal' with Andie MacDowell.

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'The Ellen Show' (2001-2002) - Unfortunately, her second attempt at a sitcom only lasted one season.

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Ellen at the center -

DeGeneres was the center square on 'Hollywood Squares' from 2002 to 2003.

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'Finding Nemo' changes everything - DeGeneres voiced Dory in 'Finding Nemo' in 2003, a move that changed her career trajectory for the better.

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'The Funny Thing Is...' - She released 'The Funny Thing Is...' in 2003...

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'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' - ...and landed her own talk show, 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show.'

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Playing herself - From 2003 to 2005, she played herself in 'Pauly Shore Is Dead,' 'The Bernie Mac Show,' 'Six Feet Under,' and 'Joey.'

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Carrying the Olympic torch - In 2004, DeGeneres had the honor of carrying the Olympic torch.

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Spiderwoman - She also made a hilarious Spiderman at the 2004 MTV Movie Awards.

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Best host - She won Best Talk Show Host at the Emmys in 2004, an award she would go on to earn many more times.

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People's Choice Awards - She's also a legend at the People's Choice Awards. With well over a dozen awards to her name, she has the most earned by anyone.

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Teens think she's cool - DeGeneres has picked up several surfboards at the Teen Choice Awards as well.

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Kids love her - She's also picked up several statues at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.

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Romance blooms - In 2004, DeGeneres started dating her future wife, Portia de Rossi.

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Hosting the Oscars - DeGeneres hosted the Oscars for the first time in 2007.

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Covergirl! - She became a Covergirl in 2008.

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Special causes - Famously charitable, DeGeneres performed at the Stand Up To Cancer event in 2008.

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Comedy specials - She taped 'Ellen's Even Bigger Really Big Show' in 2008. She also had comedy specials in 2000 and 2003.

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'American Idol' - Already a fan of the show, DeGeneres became a judge on 'American Idol' in 2010, but left after finding it too critical a role.

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'The Simpsons' - She voiced herself on 'The Simpsons' in 2010.

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Animal lover - A big animal lover, DeGeneres was there for the US Postal Service's dedication of their new Animal Rescue: Adopt A Shelter Pet Stamp in 2010.

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Runway model - That same year she walked the runway with designer Richie Rich during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

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Hollywood Walk of Fame - In 2012, she got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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Mark Twain Prize for American Humor - A huge honor for DeGeneres in 2012: the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

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Ellen goes to Australia - In 2013, DeGeneres took her talk show overseas to her wife's homeland of Australia.

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The Grammys - DeGeneres presented alongside Beyoncé at the Grammys in 2013.

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More charity - Also in 2013, DeGeneres was there for the launch of the Duracell Power a Smile Program.

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Hosting the Academy Awards again -

She hosted the Oscars again in 2014.

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Famous selfie - She is remembered for the selfie she took during the ceremony, which quickly went viral.

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'Ellen's Design Challenge' - Beginning in 2015, she could also be seen on her reality show, 'Ellen's Design Challenge.'

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'One Big Happy' not so happy -

But that same year the sitcom she executive produced, 'One Big Happy,' failed to make it past six episodes.

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'The Big Bang Theory' -

In 2016, she played herself on 'The Big Bang Theory.'

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'Finding Dory' - That year her voice was also the star of 'Finding Dory,' the sequel to the film that put her back on the map.

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The Presidential Medal of Freedom - And then came perhaps the highest honor of all: the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

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Disaster relief concert - DeGeneres participated in 'One Voice: Somos Live! A Concert For Disaster Relief' in 2017.

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'Ellen's Game of Games' -

Known for playing games on her talk show, DeGeneres got her own game show in 2017. However, the show was canceled in January 2022. Indeed, she's been involved in several projects in the last few years, from 'Family Game Night' to 'Ellen's Next Great Designer' and 'Little Ellen.'

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The backlash -

In 2020, cracks in DeGeneres' reputation began to appear. Her talk show's work atmosphere was labeled "toxic," and her persona as America's sweetheart host was called into question. In the wake of it, in 2022 she announced she would be ending her show.

See also: All the details on Ellen DeGeneres' public fall from grace

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