Ellen DeGeneres is a person.
Ellen DeGeneres . DeGeneres starred in the popular sitcom Ellen from 1994 to 1998 and has hosted her syndicated TV talk show , The Ellen DeGeneres Show , since 2003 . In 2010 , she was a judge on American Idol for its ninth season . In 2008 , she married her longtime girlfriend Portia de Rossi . In 2016 , she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom . Presidential Medal of Freedom . It recognizes those people who have made `` an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States , world peace , cultural or other significant public or private endeavors '' .