Ellen DeGeneres' brother may not be daytime TV royalty, but he's created something of
his own unique entertainment empire.
As a an actor, comedian, musician, producer, and screenwriter, the multi-talented Vance
DeGeneres has proven he's got the chops to hang with his more famous younger sis.
Pursuing showbiz
Before pursuing a career in entertainment, Vance DeGeneres served a two-year stint in
the Marine Corps, during which time he became a corporal.
Upon returning to his hometown of New Orleans, this lifelong musician hosted a radio program
called New Wave New Orleans and played bass in a band called The Cold.
They broke up in 1985, but in 2018, they were inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of
Fame
"You notice a club sign dead ahead.
It’s Jimmy’s.
You’re drawn inside… you’re about to enter…
The Cold Zone."
After moving out to Los Angeles in the mid-80s, DeGeneres founded the short-lived rock band
House of Schock along with Go-Gos drummer Gina Schock.
He later played guitar for the New Orleans-based band Cowboy Mouth.
As of 2019, he is a member of the folk-pop outfit The Lightjackets.
Funny runs in the family
DeGeneres' relocation to the West Coast prompted a shift into writing and producing comedy.
Over the years, he and his sister's careers have remained intrinsically linked.
After getting his start as a staff writer on NBC's Eerie, Indiana, Vance penned a couple
of episodes of Ellen's self-titled '90s sitcom.
Then he wrote material for her Oscars hosting gigs in 2007 and 2014, and he's occasionally
appeared on her talk show.
In between these familial jobs, DeGeneres wrote for other shows like Diagnosis Murder,
Gary the Rat, and The Secret World of Alex Mack.
He also found on-screen work of his own, and produced a number of movies and TV shows.
Daily Show correspondent
While Vance DeGeneres isn't necessarily known for his on-screen work, he was a fan-favorite
correspondent on The Daily Show once upon a time.
Between 1999 and 2001, he appeared in 137 episodes and helped push the fake news program
into a new direction during the early days of Jon Stewart's acclaimed tenure.
This Comedy Central standby has catapulted the careers such funny people as Stephen Colbert,
John Oliver, and Samantha Bee.
But DeGeneres has largely spent his post-Daily Show career flying under the radar, so much
so that in 2014 Uproxx unfortunately listed him as "one of the five least successful"
former correspondents.
Of course, that distinction depends upon how you define "successful."
Perhaps "least visible" would've been a fairer assessment.
"In all honesty … it’s been a tremendous 2 and a half years here as a correspondent
and as your personal valet.”
Behind the camera
Following The Daily Show, DeGeneres' showbiz roles have mainly been behind the scenes as
a writer and producer.
He spent six years working as the co-president of Steve Carell's Carousel Productions alongside
actor Charlie Hartsock.
During his tenure there, DeGeneres served as an executive producer on movies like Crazy,
Stupid, Love and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, as well as the Showtime series Inside Comedy.
He eventually later struck out on his own, scoring a development deal through Telepictures
Productions and AVGP.
A second shot at love
Following a short-lived first marriage in the early '90s, DeGeneres was given a second
shot at love in August 2013 when he tied the knot with headshot photographer Joanna Brooks.
Their California wedding was held at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa.
As intimate as it was star-studded, the roughly two-dozen guest list included famous faces
like Steve Carell and of course Ellen and her wife Portia de Rossi.
The happy couple tend to keep their romance under wraps, and they appear to still be going
strong while enjoying married life.
Joanna wrote on Instagram in 2016,
"13 plus years together, 3 married #happyanniversay to the love of my life.
I laugh everyday and I married my best friend.
I highly recommend following that same path."
Two years later, the pair expanded their household by welcoming an Australian labradoodle named
Taters into their home.
Going full circle
After four decades of performing, writing, and producing in music, film, and TV, DeGeneres'
career came full circle in January 2019 when he returned to radio as the producer of the
SiriusXM show Have You Heard The One About.
The program is co-hosted by comedy veterans David Steinberg and Alan Zweibel.
The impressive on-air talent are joined by guests to talk old school comedy.
DeGeneres took to Twitter to promote the show's launch by saying,
"I'm a producer on this new show where we discuss and play clips from radio comedy greats
and classic comedy albums.
Our premiere episode today!"
If this multi-talent is that excited about two dudes nerding out over comedy every week,
you can bet we are, too.
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