Ellen DeGeneres: 15 Things You Didn’t Know (Part 1)

Over the course of the past two decades, Ellen DeGeneres has become one of the most recognizable faces in the world. The 57-year-old talk show host may have been around the block a few times, but she shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. However, despite the fact that DeGeneres has spent a considerable amount of time in the spotlight and under the scrutiny of the public eye, there are still some things that many people don’t know. With that in mind, here we present our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Ellen DeGeneres. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for part two, coming soon!

Number Fifteen: Her Stepfather Molested Her. DeGeneres was molested by her mother’s third husband when she was growing up. At the time, DeGeneres’ mother was undergoing a mastectomy, and her husband said he wanted to touch her chest just so he could see what a “healthy chest” felt like.

Number Fourteen: She Is Related to Madonna. It’s true! Madonna is DeGeneres’ eleventh cousin, and they share the same tenth great-grandfather named Martin Aucoin. DeGeneres and Madonna share several other similarities, including that they both wrote memoirs and were born in the same year.

Number Thirteen: She Has Her Own Ride at Disney World. DeGeneres has a ride depicted after her own subconscious at Disney World. The premise of the ride is that DeGeneres falls asleep watching Jeopardy!, and the people on the ride are getting a unique inside look at her dream of competing on the show.

Number Twelve: She Lost a Push-Up Challenge to Michelle Obama. When first lady Michelle Obama appeared on Degeneres’ show, it was at the height of the obsession with Obama’s arms. So, DeGeneres challenged her to a push-up contest! DeGeneres was able to do an impressive 20 push-ups, but Obama pulled off 25.

Number Eleven: She Is Multi-Talented. You’re probably aware that DeGeneres is a comedian and talk show host, but she’s so much more as well. DeGeneres is a spokeswoman for Covergirl, a television and film producer, a voice actress, and a screenwriter.

Number Ten: She Was Raised  as a Christian Scientist. DeGeneres grew up in a family of Christian Scientists, and she identified with the religion until she was 13 years old. Because of the beliefs of Christian Scientists, DeGeneres didn’t take any aspirin until she was a teenager.

Number Nine: She Wasn’t Always the Funny One. In fact, DeGeneres’ brother was known as the funny one growing up. The comedy-centric side of her personality didn’t really make an appearance until her parents got divorced when she was 13 years old.