Ellen DeGeneres & Portia de Rossi’s marriage in photos: from backstage meeting to new life in England

Ellen and Portia first met backstage at a Rock the Vote concert, however Portia had not publicly come out as gay at the time.

They crossed each other’s paths again in 2004, and broke up with their respective partners to be together. “I ran into Ellen at a photo shoot about a year ago and she took my breath away,” Portia told The Advocate in 2005, adding: “That had never happened to me in my life, where I saw somebody and [experienced] all of those things you hear about in songs and read about in poetry. My knees were weak. It was amazing. And it was very hard for me to get her out of my mind after that.”

In May 2008, when the California Supreme Court struck down a law banning same-sex marriage, Ellen proposed, and they got married on August 16, 2008.

On December 1, 2018, Ellen revealed on a post on Instagram that the date marked the 15th anniversary since she and Portia started dating. For the occasion, she hired a plane to fly by their house with a banner that said 15 with a heart.

In February 2023, Ellen and Portia held a vow renewal ceremony at their home, for which Portia rewore her original Zac Posen wedding dress. Kris Jenner officiated the ceremony, and Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were also in attendance.

As of late 2024, Ellen and Portia had relocated to an estate in the Cotswolds.