Ellen DeGeneres’ Net Worth 2018: The New Queen of Talk Shows?

Comedian, daytime host, actress, and the voice of a beloved Disney Pixar character, Ellen DeGeneres has paved the way as an entertainment mogul. Experts believe she might even surpass Oprah Winfrey as the queen of talk shows! Years ago, she came out of the closet in front of Oprah and now she’s the host of the highest-rated syndicated TV show, while giving visibility to LGBTQ issues. These two talk show empresses are great friends but we can’t help but compare their empires. How does Ellen DeGeneres’ estimated net worth of $400.0 million stand against the infamous Miss O’s? Find out here.

How Does Ellen Make Her Money?

The Louisiana native was born on January 26, 1958. She dropped out of the University of New Orleans after one semester to work as a clerk in a law firm. She worked at JC Penney and TGI Fridays, and as a house painter, hostess, and bartender. Her experiences formed much of the material for her comedy.

• She began her career performing stand-up comedy in New Orleans during the ’80s and acted in sitcoms and movies. Her comedy career became the basis for the success of her eponymous sitcom.
• Her popularity soared when she came out as a lesbian on The Oprah Winfrey Show. At the same time, her character also came out of the closet on Ellen.
• Her daytime talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (which began in 2003 and continues to see success today) is one of the highest rated TV shows in history.
• She has hosted the Emmy Awards, the Academy Awards, was a judge on American Idol, voiced the character of Dory, and branched into several other entertainment ventures.
• She signed endorsement deals with American Express, Covergirl, Beats by Dre, and JC Penney.
• Ellen signed Greyson Chance under her newly found record label, Eleveneleven.
• She signed a deal with QVC to sell her line of home products, E.D.
• She launched her lifestyle brand, Ed by Ellen in 2015, which includes clothes, shoes, accessories, baby attire, and home items. A PetSmart dog and cat line were added later.
• Ellentube, a proprietary video streaming platform, and the popular mobile game app called “Heads up” have made her umbrella digital company, Ellen Digital Ventures, a multi-million dollar business. Ellentube’s income is not known but the site is believed to earn a significant amount from ad revenue.
• She launched her own production company, A Very Good Production, which produces her talk show.
• A known champion of animal rights, she owns 15% of the pet food company, Halo.
• She authored books on her life and co-wrote a vegan cookbook with her wife, Portia de Rossi.
• Ellen and Portia have turned into a real-estate power couple, having bought and flipped a few expensive estates. DeGeneres claims she’s lost count of how many homes she has bought but the number can’t be below seven.
• She’s a regular appearance on Forbes, ranking among the top Celebrity 100, Power Women, and Highest Paid TV Hosts.

Take a look at Ellen DeGeneres’ commercial performance and assets below.

Here’s a look at Ellen’s growing income over the years.

Who’s Richer—Ellen or Oprah?

• Since Winfrey retired from daytime TV, Ellen’s popularity seems to have risen. Since Ellen came out on her show, the two have been good friends and Winfrey only has praise for Ellen.
• Winfrey is an entertainment mogul and billionaire who’s net worth was reported at $2.8 billion in 2017. Experts estimate DeGeneres is getting there fast.
• While Oprah is one of the richest talk show hosts of all time, DeGeneres is currently the second highest paid TV host right after Dr Phil’s Phil McGraw.

Here’s how Ellen DeGeneres compares to Oprah and other talk show hosts.