I am so excited about this.
Our next guest is someone who makes
me smile each and every day.
His name is Anthony.
He is a security guard at CNN.
And every single day at the end of my show,
I see him and I ask him how he's doing.
And every single day, he says to me, Brooke,
I'm fantastic and only improving.
From the Bronx in New York, please give it
up for Anthony Anderson.
Hey, Brooke, how are you?
Anthony, can you believe it?
Can you believe like, I'm sitting in this chair,
you're sitting--
this is happening.
This is happening.
I mean, I know we see each other every day.
But did you ever think in a million years
we'd be having this conversation on The Ellen Show?
Never.
I'm still wondering how I got here, and I'm in my home.
You know, every time I leave the studio-- just to explain
to people who are watching.
Every time I finish my shift during the day,
you always text me what time are you leaving?
You meet me in the hallway, you walk me out of the building,
get me to my car just so I get there safely.
Do you do you remember the first day we met?
Absolutely.
How could I forget?
Oh.
I remember you wrapping up, getting ready to go,
and you asked me, am I your escort?
And I said, yes.
And you said, I'm Brooke.
In my head, I said, of course, I know who you are.
And you asked me my name.
I told you my name was Anthony, and you repeated it.
And for that, that made me feel special.
That made me feel more than a escort, more than a security.
You know, it meant everything to me.
So thank you.
Oh.
Let me get to how you mean so much to me.
Because every day when I see you and I ask you how you're doing,
you always say, always, no matter what
you probably going through that day--
Fantastic and only improving.
I mean, who does that?
Who says that every single day?
Anthony, where did that come from?
You know what?
It wasn't always like this, Brooke.
10 years ago, I found myself on the other side of fear,
at a dark time in my life.
But you know what?
It's at that lowest point where you figure out
how to get to the light.
So I had to realize that it wasn't about who I was
but what I can become.
So I invested in myself.
I did the audio books, the seminars, the self-help,
anything that can inspire me.
And from that point on, I set a standard
to live by-- fantastic and only improving
and to hold myself accountable at all times
no matter what I'm going through,
no matter where I'm at in life.
That's what it is.
It's your story-- your back story is incredible and--
I'm going to get through this.
But like, you touched my heart because my decision
to leave CNN has really been hard.
But it's something I have to do.
And the day before I announced on my show, you had no idea.
And you found me in the hallway just as you normally do,
and you handed me this bag.
And you were like, I got you a gift.
And I thought, what am I getting a gift for?
And you handed me this sweatshirt,
and it said, fantastic and only improving.
And at the time, you didn't know fully
what you were doing for me.
But it was that act of kindness, that gesture that's
so touched me.
I'm just so grateful to you for that.
Thank you.
Thank you, Brooke.
Why did you give me that?
It was because your kindness, you're so full of life,
and you made me feel like I belong, which is important.
You go to a lot of places in life,
and you kind of feel like an outcast,
you kind of feel alone, but you made me feel like I belong
and that meant the world to me.
So I know I could never repay you.
But what I can do is give on to you
my mantra, what I live by as a thank you.
I'm taking the thank you.
I'm taking the gratitude.
I'm throwing it right back at you, my friend.
I have so much more to talk to you about.
Hang with me.
We're going to take a quick break.
We're going to talk more with Anthony when we come back.
Fantastic and only improving.
We're back with my friend and security
guard at CNN, Anthony Anderson.
And Anthony, this is a little backstory.
So after you gave me that sweatshirt,
I posted it on Instagram.
So I was just so touched with this random act of kindness.
And a couple of people ended up wanting the sweatshirt.
And I have a feeling a few more people might as well.
This is the picture I posted.
And so obviously, this is Ellen's show.
And so when Ellen DeGeneres heard about you,
when she heard about your story, she actually
left me something to give to you.
I don't know if you know this, but she
has some friends and some pretty high places,
including this amazing company called Shutterfly.
And Shutterfly loves helping people
tell their inspiring stories like yours.
And since you're making these just awesome amazing hoodies,
Ellen and Shutterfly made a special one for you.
Hold on, hold on.
Here we go.
I'm going to stand up.
OK.
Oh.
So The Ellen Show-- wait for it, wait for it.
They are giving you $10,000.
What?
Anthony, what are you thinking?
What are you feeling, my friend?
Oh my-- I'm like, me?
You.
Oh.
This is amazing.
Best day ever.
Thank you, Ellen.
Best day ever.
Anthony, I love you.
Thank you.
Go to ellentube.com if you want to find out
how you can get one of Anthony's fantastic and only improving
hoodies.
There he is with a few hoodies.
Get ready to make a few more.