Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show isn’t going anywhere – despite what her wife, Portia de Rossi, may want. In a new interview with The New York Times, the comedian, 60, revealed that she recently extended her contract with The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which she’s been hosting since 2003, through 2020 – but was close to turning it down.
Her brother, Vance DeGeneres, has always told her to stay on, especially with the state America is currently in – something de Rossi, 45, doesn’t like. “She gets mad when my brother tells me I can’t stop,” the host told the publication.
Her wife, who was in the room for that part of the interview, responded, “I just think she’s such a brilliant actress and standup that it doesn’t have to be this talk show for her creativity; there are other things she could tackle.”
While DeGeneres, whose new Netflix special, Relatable, debuts Tuesday, December 18, admitted she’d like to take on more acting – playing “someone unappealing” is a hope – her wife thinks she should do radio or host a podcast. “I don’t see the end of her show as her career ending,” the actress added.
The 30-time Emmy winner also shed light on the rumors about her relationship troubles with de Rossi. “I hear Portia and I are divorcing every other week or having a baby or whatever,” she said, noting that she doesn’t read any press about herself. The couple tied the knot in 2008 after four years of dating.
Another rumor she debunked was that she’s not nice to work for.
“That bugs me if someone is saying that because it’s an outright lie,” she explained. “The first day I said: ‘The one thing I want is everyone here to be happy and proud of where they work, and if not, don’t work here.’ No one is going to raise their voice or not be grateful. That’s the rule to this day.”
