From the magazine issue dated Sep 15, 2008
What did you do on your summer vacation? Ellen DeGeneres got married to girlfriend Portia de Rossi in California. Her talk show returns this week, but first she spoke to Ramin Setoodeh about all things Ellen.
You ' re one minute early.
I'm sorry. I'll call you right back. I am always either on time or way early. So one minute is perfect for me.
I read that your Ellen boxer briefs sell really well.
Everyone sells things, and they have obvious things like coffee mugs. I wanted something different, so I thought of boxer briefs. There are a lot of men that wear them all the time. I saw Martin Sheen at some airport. He pulled his pants down to show me he had Ellen underwear on.
Are you going to show your wedding photos on your show?
We have photos and video. We're not going to show the ceremony—that's too intimate. But we have this meadow. We were trying to take pictures before the guests arrived. Every time we went out, helicopters would circle, so we were running back and forth. There's a lot of footage of us running back and forth.
What ' s the difference between a gay wedding and a straight one?
Well, the food is gay. The water is gay. There's a gay vibe.
Was there a best man?
No. We did something that was nontraditional but not weird. I think you could find a straight couple that had a weirder wedding than us.
Did you cry?
Oh, yeah. I cried when I saw her, because we didn't want to see our outfits beforehand. Actually, I could cry right now thinking about it. I never thought I would have that experience of getting married. I didn't think I was missing anything. I just didn't think about it. But to see her for the first time and to cut a wedding cake, that was surreal for me and I got to experience that with our families around us. I didn't realize how special it was until I did it.
What kind of cake did you have?
Red velvet. It was vegan—we're both vegans.
Why a pantsuit instead of a traditional wedding dress?
I'd never wear a dress. I don't ever feel comfortable in a dress. The last time I wore a dress was 12 years ago. I've never liked them, even when I was younger.
But you ' ve worn a wedding dress on screen before.
Well, yeah. I'll do anything for a laugh. But I think your wedding day should be about being comfortable. Zac Posen designed our outfits. My shirt was sheer and it was lace and ribbon through it. It was more feminine than I would go, but it was still a gorgeous look. There's no way to compete with the dress Portia was wearing, so why try?
Are you going to have kids?
I don't know. They're cute, but they're a lot of trouble. There's always something to worry about at every age.
Are animals easier?
I worry about them, too. But they are a little easier. And they don't talk back to you.
© 2008
