Betty and Ellen DeGeneres are arguably the most celebrated mother/daughter team of the decade. Their tight knit family also includes son Vance and daughter-in-law, Portia de Rossi, who legally changed her name to Portia Lee James DeGeneres.
Born in New Orleans on May 20, 1930, Betty is celebrating her 81st birthday this month. After earning her BA and MA in Speech Pathology she moved to California to be closer to her superstar daughter, Ellen, and her son Vance. She worked as a speech therapist for developmentally disabled adults and joined the Cedar Sinai Medical Center as a speech therapist.
In a national magazine interview, Ellen DeGeneres shared that she bonded with her mother, when Betty DeGeneres was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. At the age of 16, young Ellen was shielded from her mother’s mastectomy in the beginning of the treatment process, yet got more involved in her recovery and physical rehabilitation.
Once Ellen got her hit television show, “Ellen”, Betty supported her daughter with kindness, respect and encouragement when Ellen made history in 1997 as she and her character came out of the closet.
Ellen became the first actress to acknowledge being gay to the public. Betty became the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) National Coming Out spokesperson and continues to be active today.
She inspires and assists gay people to be honest about themselves and their lives. As a spokesperson, she stated “As long as our gay sons and daughters face discrimination and are excluded from the basic protection of our laws, I will urge all American families to come out for fairness.”
As a breast cancer survivor, she speaks about her experiences at charity fundraisers and other events. Her first book, Love, Ellen: A Mother, Daughter Journey, was published in March 1999; her second book, Just a Mom, was published in November 2000.
Betty told a newspaper that she and Ellen “Have a very special relationship that I do not take for granted. We’ve been there for each other.”
Happy Birthday and Mother’s Day Betty. We hope you spend your special days surrounded by loved ones.
Published in the May issue 2011 of NOT BORN YESTERDAY.
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