Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi have been going strong for quite some time. They've weathered the storm together multiple times, including when Ellen's reputation took a hit in 2020. Despite the nasty rumors about Ellen's actual personality, Portia has stood by her side.
And the talk show host has been there for Portia, as well. Well, sort of. Ellen told a story on Jimmy Kimmel Live that was likely meant to be quirky, but it didn't necessarily paint either of them in the best light. Let's just say that while marijuana has proven itself to be an incredible resource for many medical conditions — from pain to anxiety and depression — it's not good to consume while driving a vehicle.
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That's where Ellen's story ended up. But here's what happened first.
Ellen told the story about how she once tried a few "weed drinks" thanks to a friend. And she wasn't afraid to name names. She said the brand was Cann, and the drinks — which contain CBD and THC — were given to her by Chelsea Handler. She also admitted that she never really got high before. For some reason, weed doesn't seem to affect Ellen that much.
That said, she's still not experienced enough to really know what's in weed. "They have CBD or TH … I don't know what the good thing is, but it has something," she told Jimmy Kimmel. "I drank one and I didn't feel anything, so I drank three. I took two melatonin sleep pills."
Ellen was about to go to bed when she realized that Portia wasn't right next to her. "I'm laying in bed and I realize she's not in bed. I said, 'Are you OK? Baby, are you OK?'" Ellen said. "She's moaning. I get out of bed and she's on the ground on all fours."
Ellen remembers that Portia tried hard to convince her that everything was fine. "I go, 'You're not OK.' She goes, 'I'm OK.' I said, 'No, unless you're playing Twister by yourself, you're not OK,'" Ellen joked. "So I rushed her to the emergency room."
That's when the story gets a little dicey. Sure, she might not have wanted to make a scene, but if Ellen drank three drinks that contained weed and also took sleeping pills, it could have been a hazardous situation. Ellen could have called someone else for help to get Portia to where she needed to be, especially with the resources she has.
Upon repeating it out loud, Ellen admitted she likely made the wrong choice: "I did [drive her]. I kicked in, my adrenaline, because I had to rush her there. So it's probably not safe. I shouldn't be saying any of this."
Many believe that weed is safer than alcohol consumption, and they're not completely wrong. But neither are good to take while operating a vehicle. Driving under the influence isn't a smart choice regardless of the substance. And Ellen was very lucky that nothing worse happened.
Portia is now OK. She had to go through an emergency appendectomy, but she has recovered since. However, Ellen included another sketchy detail to the story that she might have wanted to keep to herself. And it involved Portia's pain management.
"She was begging for more pain pills because she was still in pain and the nurse was not giving them to her," Ellen admitted. "So she starts offering up tickets to my show. She's like bargaining, 'What about the Christmas 12 Days show?'" That, alone, would make any nurse cringe. Pain pills aren't something that should be bartered.
It may not have been Ellen's finest moment. But sometimes, in the midst of an emergency, you just don't think things through. Ellen has tried so hard to repair her reputation, but perhaps this wasn't the best story to share about their relationship. The Ellen backlash began in 2020, when stories came out about her personality behind the scenes.
Multiple sources described stories about Ellen where she was rude or condescending. Then information came out that she didn't pay her employees while the show was on hiatus. In comparison, hosts like Seth Meyers reportedly paid staff out of pocket when times were tough.
While she apologized and promised to change, her show's ratings still took a dive. Entertainment Weekly reports that her daytime talk show viewership has dropped by 1.1 million people, which is pretty intense. Almost overnight, Ellen became much less marketable after the truth was revealed over what was happening on set.
But that doesn't mean that all networks have lost faith in Ellen. She actually landed yet another series on HBO Max called Ellen's Next Great Designer. According to the series description online, the show will have designers "compete in innovative furniture-making challenges from studios in their hometowns, with DeGeneres appearing in each episode to surprise and delight the contestants and the judges."
While it's unclear as to when this was filmed, hopefully Ellen's negative press won't turn people away. But regardless, it's always fun to have a new design show, especially since this past year has inspired many of us to redecorate our own living spaces. It's a fresh new start for Ellen — so hopefully she made sure to treat the young designers with respect.
