Ellen DeGeneres

Lost in the whirlwind of press surrounding Ellen DeGeneres’ personal life was her intrinsic comedic gift, which her popular sitcom Ellen didn’t always showcase. Her gentle spirit and easy, friendly sense of humor are on full display with her daytime talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, although there her natural comic timing occasionally runs a distant third to gushing over celebrities and dancing with her audience. More recently, DeGeneres has also been branching out into even less funny areas as a record-label founder (for the new pop-oriented Eleveneleven imprint) and American Idol judge, but at her live shows, DeGeneres brings her droll, understated observational comedy back into the spotlight. 

Updated 06/10/2010