Full disclosure, I was crying backstage.
Why?
This is like so surreal to be here,
and your sweet stage manager kept
going please don't do this.
Oh my gosh, there's no one here to fix you.
And all of a sudden the makeup starts coming.
It was like, I can't believe this is happening.
Awe, that's so sweet.
And the thing is, she's absolutely, 100% serious too.
Yeah.
But I'm a huge fan.
I remember one big moment for me was when you came out.
I was at Smith College, and it was like bigger than Christmas.
Susan, I'm Gay was like in auto-tune on the campus.
It's like watching the World Cup in New York when you
can hear it out of the bars.
The whole campus blew up.
And I think it was such a bold move.
Now knowing it's 20 years ago is unbelievable.
But my brother happens to be gay, so
people that stand up and are themselves and go out there--
you were like everything.
Thank you so much.
[APPLAUSE]
You're so sweet.
All right.
You're so sweet.
Thank you so much.
That really is so nice to hear.
All right, so we're going to take a break.
And when we come back--
I don't ever get to New York.
I want to be on your show.
So we brought the set here so you can interview me as
if I flew out so you can do--
I don't know what you're going to ask me.
You can ask me whatever you want,
and that way I'm on your show.
How long do we have because I've got lots of questions.
OK, well, we all have to catch a flight, so whatever you think.
We'll be back, and we'll do that after this.
Hey.
We're back with Michael Srahan and Sara Haines
the host GMA Day, and we're ready for you.
We're so lucky to have our first guest here today.
She's one of the biggest stars in the world
In the world.
Please welcome the one, the only Ellen DeGeneres.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
In the world, wow, that's very nice, thank you.
We're so happy for you to join us.
Thank you for taking the time.
Well, I'm just in New York for a short amount of time.
So I thought, I want to see the two of you.
Well you said we could ask anything,
so let's get personal.
Can I-- but-- before you say anything,
I was so nervous coming out here to meet you.
I was crying.
I was backstage and your stage person was like,
don't do this, because I was so excited.
Anyway--
That happens all the time when people meet Sara
Yeah, all the time, all the time.
So you and Portia just celebrated 10 years together.
10 year wedding anniversary.
10 year wedding anniversary, sorry.
When did you know she was the one?
Like any date stories or funny things that happened?
I knew she was the one when I first met her,
and that was three years before we got together.
But, yeah, no, we kind of like-- we didn't have any crazy dates.
Or the only crazy date story I have is like early on.
She thought it would be funny because the first night we
met there was a limousine.
That's how long ago was that we met, 14 years ago,
and people were taking limos to events instead of SUVs.
And so she got a limo for a date for us filled with balloons
because I hate balloons.
And the limo couldn't get out of our driveway.
It was doing like a--
it kept having to turn about nine times to get out.
And then she took me into a long French dinner that
was a meal every 20 minutes.
You know how slow they are?
And I was impatient, and so I left before the cake even came.
And you knew she was the one after all that?
All that, yes.
I knew that before that.
She had me at balloons.
Yes, yes.
But I'm just-- you took your summer--
you didn't take a break this summer.
You actually went back on the road.
I did.
You filmed a Netflix special.
I did.
I did a Netflix special, and I--
But how that though, because you're back on the road?
How is it to be back in front of live audience again?
Well, they're alive.
Um--
No, but you know.
So, yeah.
No, I know.
But in comedy, on the stage.
It's definitely a different kind of thing
when I'm doing stand up than I'm doing the show.
I mean, I hadn't done stand up in 15 years,
and I was really excited to do it I had a lot of fun.
Do you get nervous, though?
Because stand is petrifying to me.
It's like a unique beast.
It's what we have nightmares about, standing up
in front of people and trying to make them laugh.
Yeah.
Do you get nervous when you go up there?
I don't.
I love doing it.
It's something-- I mean, I did it
for like 20 years when I first started.
So it's sort of in me.
You know?
So, no.
Do you get nervous?
Well I don't try to do that ever.
That's a craft that I will not go near.
She starts hugging and hitting when she gets nervous.
Oh, when I get nervous I do hug people awkwardly.
I just start hugging anyone.
We're walking in here, she's hugging strangers.
It was weird.
Do get nervous about things?
I don't get nervous anymore.
I used to.
And I don't know what I do when I'm nervous.
Maybe I'm nervous now, and I'm talking real fast.
But yeah, sometimes I get nervous.
But I've got a question for you, and this is a great question
for your show, what do you do?
How do you stop a person who is talking too much?
I just zone out.
I just kind of like past them, and then
I-- no, If they're talking to much, I just let them go.
And then we have to, unfortunately, edit them,
you know, later, because I don't want to interrupt them.
But we only have a certain amount of time in a segment.
And there are certain people-- you know,
Kanye West, who talks a lot.
You know, there are people that like to talk,
and they don't pay attention.
Politicians, as you know, they have no idea about time.
They just will talk.
You got to get the message out.
Put up some bars and an emergency tone.
Sorry, we lost our signal.
You got to go big sometimes.
Um, OK, so wait.
I want to talk about--
if you went-- like, I want to see you in the wild,
not in your studio where we were invited.
So--
You do?
Yeah.
You'd like to see me in the wild?
Well, that's-- we didn't invite you there,
so it's like seeing a celebrity out and about--
when you're in the grocery store.
Oh, that's the wild.
I see.
That's the wild.
Sorry.
We're not in the jungle.
We're in LA.
OK.
I thought you wanted to put me on an island or something.
No, no.
I'd like to see how you survive, Ellen.
Naked and Afraid.
Right.
No, no.
When you went to the grocery store last time--
do you go to the grocery store?
No.
OK.
When was the last time you've been to a grocery store?
I went to a grocery store about like two years ago.
What did you buy?
Make it good.
I was going to buy tequila, actually.
It was for, like, a last minute party
we were having, and I went to buy tequila.
And it was a little bit of a fiasco.
You know?
People came up to you?
Well, you know what they do--
Did you feel bad, like, buying tequila
with a bunch of strangers, looking like, oh, that girl's
got a drinking problem.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
No, know you what they do is they
pretend like they're near me, but they just have their phone
out, and then I'm behind them, like I don't know
that that's what they're doing.
Or they pretend like they're reading a text
but it's this high to look at me.
But there was a lot of phones out and stuff like that.
It was actually Oprah, who did it, but, um--
Yeah.
She loves when she sees me out.
And we have one final question for you,
and I don't know if you're going to answer this.
How much money do you have?
Oh.
A lot.
A whole lot.
That's all I needed to know.
Almost as much as you, Michael.
Almost as much as me?
Well you better keep on working because I ain't got that much.
[APPLAUSE]
You can catch Michael and Sara on GMA Day,
every day at 1 o'clock Eastern, noon Central Pacific on ABC.
We'll be back.