DeGeneres ended her eponymous daytime talk show on Thursday following a 19-year run.
After Ellen DeGeneres bid farewell to her eponymous daytime talk show after 19 seasons, her wife, Portia de Rossi, took the opportunity to share what the longtime talk show host has meant to her, anointing her an "icon" and "idol."
De Rossi took to Instagram on Thursday and shared a photo slideshow that included DeGeneres on the iconic Time magazine cover in April 1997 with the headline that read, "Yep, I'm Gay." Some of the other pics were throwbacks to the comedian hanging out with Oprah Winfrey, R&B singer Usher and one of her first appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
"To my utterly beautiful, supremely talented, insanely accomplished wife on the day of your final show," de Rossi started her caption. "I married an icon. I married my Idol."
DeGeneres started the final show by showing the opening from her very first show, back in September 2003, before flashing back through the openings from all 19 seasons.
DeGeneres was clearly emotional as she walked on set for the last time, as were her friends, family and fans in the crowd -- including de Rossi, who could be seen tearing up even before the host began her monologue.
A source told ET of the milestone, "Ellen's last show was emotional for her. It feels like an end of an era, but she is ready for the next chapter of her life. It feels bittersweet."
De Rossi sat down with DeGeneres earlier this month and shared the touching story about revealing to her 99-year-old grandmother that she was dating the talk show host.
"Well, my grandma meant everything to me. We were actually born on the same day, and she was so special to me," de Rossi began. "And she was a huge fan of Ellen, she loved the sitcom -- loved her sitcom, wouldn't miss an episode, until the episode where she came out."
De Rossi explained that her grandmother wasn't a fan of DeGeneres coming out. But that all changed years later when de Rossi explained during a trip back home to Australia that she was dating DeGeneres after her grandmother asked if she was seeing anyone special.
"So, then she literally put her head in her hands for 20 seconds or 30 seconds, silent," the 49-year-old actress continued. "And I thought, 'That's it, I've killed my grandma,' she's just gonna literally -- I really thought that I did."
She continued, "And she just looked at me, and she goes, 'Well, I love you just the same."'
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