After a career spanning nearly four decades, Ellen Degeneres may be the original funny girl.
With an estimated net worth of $380 million as of 2023, according to Forbes, the actress, comedienne, talk show host and dancing queen reminds us all as the voice of the beloved blue fish Dory in “Finding Nemo,” the importance of perseverance and to always “just keep on swimming.”
Amid the turbulent waters of bigotry, scandal, career pitfalls and personal free falls, tragedy, triumph and cancelations of the literal and metaphorical variety, DeGeneres has always done just that.
Never going with the flow but always and ever moving forward, DeGeneres has remained true to the progress at all costs ethos of her Aquarius zodiac sign.
In celebration of DeGeneres’s birthday we’re taking a look at stars that define and incline her and look ahead to where they may yet lead her. Read on to learn more.
Air and fire
An Aries moon is indicative of a fighting spirit and an uncompromising approach to life.Getty ImagesHow did a closeted Christian Scientist kid from a New Orleans suburb grow up to become an LGBTQ+ pioneer and the richest comedian in the world? A birth chart chock full of IDGAF, that’s how.
Ellen DeGeneres was born on January 26, 1958 making her a revolutionary Aquarius sun with a warrior hearted Aries moon. How did a closeted Christian Scientist kid from a New Orleans suburb grow up to become an LGBTQ+ pioneer and the richest comedian in the world? A birth chart chock full of IDGAF, that’s how.
The combination of DeGeneres’s fixed sun and cardinal moon speak to a fearlessness and the forging of a perilous path cut in the pursuit of advancing humanity. I see this trajectory serving its highest purpose in DeGeneres’s ground breaking work for and within the LGBTQ+ community. DeGeneres was the first woman in television history to come out on camera and one of the first comedians to come out publicly.
Critics warned/threatened that her step into personal truth and collective progress would amount to career suicide and indeed for a time it seemed DeGeneres wouldn’t recover from the revelation but none the less she persevered and pressed forward, kept swimming if you will, and in the aftermath helped highlight same sex relationships and reframed conversations about representation and equality. Throughout the tenure of her eponymous talk show, DeGeneres leveraged the platform of television and her perch upon it to campaign for LGBTQ+ rights while admittedly failing to support or speak to issues facing other marginalized communities.
Aquarius: The cult of charisma
Aquarians like Ellen care about humanity in an absolute and absolutely abstract way. Getty Images Ruled by staunch Saturn and disruptive Uranus, Aquarius is the sign of the outsider, the disruptor and the mask wearer. Aquarians are big picture people and as such are big on progress and ideals, short on apologies and self-reflection. Water bearers often create a public persona to further these agendas. These personas are often born from trauma and/or serve to protect and preserve the authentic self, as is the case with fellow Aquarians Paris ‘this is not my real voice’ Hilton and bandages over my face, “When I’m f–ked up that’s the real me,” The Weeknd.
Aquarians like Ellen care about humanity in an absolute and absolutely abstract way. They want to see the world move towards a utopian ideal but are rarely interested in interacting with human beings on a daily level or intimate scale. As a fixed air sign associated with singular genius and uncompromising vision, Aquarius is often apart from the world at large. This is part of their charm and offers them an objectivity and a hovering just above the world, birds eye vantage that allows them to see what is problematic and what is possible.
Yet, when this disconnect is related to, or exacerbated by serious wealth and status, water bearers run the risk of losing touch and any semblance of relatability. Cash money is keen to convert the outspoken outsider to the charismatic cult leader. Not for nothing folks, Oprah is also an Aquarius.
Courting controversy
A fixed sun and a cardinal moon suggest an instigative personality. Getty Images for NetflixYet, what an Aquarius doth preach ain’t always what they practice my dudes. DeGeneres has come under fire for her mistreatment of celebrity guests, notably T.Swift and accusations from her one time protege Greyson Chance that he’s “never met someone more manipulative, more self-centered and more blatantly opportunistic than her.” Yikes.
Indeed, DeGeneres’s signature show sign off of “be kind” drew calls of hypocrisy from former staffers who claimed that the “Ellen Show” was a “toxic work place” that included blatant racism and punishing tactics. While none of the reports named DeGeneres as a direct culprit of mistreatment many staff members and loyal viewers were disillusioned with her myopic leadership. Hot take: if they’re ladling your kool-aid, you’re accountable.
Wedded water bearers
Ellen and wife Portia de Rossi both fall under the sign of Aquarius.Getty Images for The Recording A It tracks that DeGeneres would find love and truly compatible companionship in fellow water bearer Portia de Rossi. Even the couple’s 2008 nuptials spoke to the particularities of their shared sun sign; they kept their guest list to under twenty, served vegan cake and danced to Stevie Wonder’s “Ribbon In the Sky,” an air sign anthem if ever there was one. Tom commemorate their fourteenth wedding anniversary in 2022, DeGeneres posted an Instagram tribute to her wife with the caption ‘It’s good to be loved. It’s profound to be understood.’ I love you, @portiaderossi.” This encapsulates the kind of communion, and safe space of being seen that Aquarius is always and ever seeking, a home to be wholly weird in and a partner that accepts them without caveat. So controversy aside and cult leader status not withstanding, DeGeneres thrives when a comeback seems out of the question and while she readies herself for her next return, she is buoyed by oceanic wealth and a partner in crime to swim alongside.
Astrology 101: Your guide to the stars
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.
