Profiles in Time: Ellen Degeneres

Ellen DeGeneres: Leading in Entertainment and Pop Culture

Ellen DeGeneres is one of the most universally beloved entertainers of our time. She’s not only a well-known female comedian but also a longtime role model in the LGBTQ community. Her career on camera spans over twenty years, but she was entertaining long before that as a stand-up comic. Today, you can find her in her sixteenth season of her talk show and hosting Game of Games. She’s also an executive producer on a number of other shows and films. In addition to her work in entertainment, DeGeneres is just about as big of a watch nerd as we are. She’s an avid collector, known for her love of one particular brand.

Finding Her Hidden Talent in Comedy

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As a teenager growing up in Louisiana, DeGeneres had a love for animals and dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. However, she found that she didn’t thrive in academia. Instead, she worked a number of odd jobs after graduating high school. One day, she had to speak at an event and used humor to combat her stage fright. Little did she know, that experience would set the stage for her entire career. After the event, someone approached her about doing stand-up comedy, and she decided to give it a try. She scored her first gig at the age of twenty-three and quickly picked up more. Her natural talent soon landed her in Hollywood, where one performance would change the course of her career. A booking agent from The Tonight Show was in the audience and offered her an appearance on the show. She became the first female comedian who Johnny Carson invited over to the iconic couch on her first visit.

Expanding Her Success

Her work on The Tonight Show led her to numerous opportunities on other popular daytime and late night talk shows. Just over a decade into her career, she received the opportunity to star in her own namesake sitcom, Ellen. Though it was a fictional show, it drew close parallels to DeGeneres’ life. In its third season, the show made television history when DeGeneres’ character became the first to come out as homosexual. That season, the show received an Emmy, but it got canceled a year later.

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After Ellen, DeGeneres pivoted to film for several years. In addition, she’s hosted a number of major award ceremonies, like the Grammys and Oscars. She has also kept her foot in standup with a few comedy specials as well as authored several books.

Ellen’s Vast Rolex Collection

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Today, she continues to work in both film and television, namely on her self-titled daytime talk show. Here, you can always find her wearing a watch, typically a different one every day. Degeneres’ collection is expansive, but she primarily devotes herself to one brand. She’s a Rolex woman through and through. The Daytona is her favorite model. She has vintage iterations, like the Paul Newman, as well as modern variations, like the Cosmograph. Despite her affinity for the Daytona, her collection consists of all the Rolex classics: the Day-Date, GMT Master, Explorer II, Submariner, Yacht Master and President. She has most recently been sporting the new GMT Master II Pepsi. In addition to Rolex, DeGeneres has a few other models in her collection, like a Patek Philippe Nautilus.