When Queen Elizabeth died in September 2022, a beautiful rainbow appeared above, just as the flag was lowered to half-mast over Windsor Castle. Meanwhile, in London, as a statement announcing her death was placed at the gates, a double rainbow appeared over Buckingham Palace.
In 2018, Ellen DeGeneres had a similar experience, where minutes before her father died, a bright rainbow arched above her studio in the Warner Brothers’ lot, the only place her family vacationed when she was younger.
Sharing a touching tribute to her father Elliot, DeGeneres marveled over the gift in the sky, like a halo over the building marked with her name and image.
Keep reading to learn more about DeGeneres and her tribute!
Ellen DeGeneres, now 65, is mostly known for her award-winning titular talk show, and as the hilarious voice behind the absent-minded fish Dory in Finding Nemo and Finding Dory.
The former door-to-door vacuum salesperson and T.G.I Fridays waitress, is relatable despite her successes that include 33 Emmy Awards, TV sitcoms, film actor, hosting the Oscars, and as a best-selling author.
In 2018, on the stage of the Ellen DeGeneres Show–that ran from 2003 to 2022–the host opened up about her dad, Elliot DeGeneres, who died at 92.
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“Before we go to break, there’s something else I want to talk about. I mentioned yesterday when I was talking about all the mudslides that are going on in my community of Montecito, which is heartbreaking, I said that I had a lot going on in my life. In addition to what’s going on in Montecito, I lost my dad this week,” DeGeneres, 59 at the time, said in a video, that was also shared on her Twitter account. Choking up, the star struggled to keep her composure and referencing the black-and-white image of herself and her dad that flashed on the screen behind her, she continued, “That is my dad, Elliot. That’s me when I was, I don’t know how old I was, but I do remember that picture.”
DeGeneres goes on to explain that he was 92 years old and had a great, long life.
“…he lived his life exactly how he wanted. He was Christian Science his entire life, he never had medicine his whole life–never went to a doctor. I never had a vaccination,” said the star, who proudly expressed her support for vaccinations by getting Covid shots. “We never had medicine growing up. And he lived to be 92.”
DeGeneres’ parents divorced in 1970 when she was 13, and she explained how she lived in a “roommate” like situation in an apartment with her mother, Betty, who struggled with life after her 20-year marriage dissolved.
Describing how she became the parent to her mom, whom she praises for her strength, DeGeneres said, “My mom had some really bad things happen in her life, and she’s a trouper. She’s tougher than I am, I’d say. When my parents divorced, it was my mother and me, by ourselves in an apartment. At that point, we kind of became roommates.” The star of the sitcom Ellen continued, “…I watched her go through a tough time, trying to date, trying to figure things out. She dated some horrible men whom I had to kick out of the house. So, at 13, I kind of became an adult and was taking care of…watching her struggle. It made me go, Oh, you’re my mom, but you’re just a human being. I saw her in a different role all of a sudden.”
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Reflecting on her relationship with her father, DeGeneres said that he was very supportive, and a “very accepting man” who loved her without judgement.In 1997, coinciding with her real-life announcement, her on-screen character Ellen Morgan, of the sitcom Ellen (1994 to 1998) came out gay, the first gay lead in American network television.Also blasting the news to the public with a cover on Time magazine titled, “Yep, I’m Gay,” DeGeneres said her dad humorously addressed her coming out.“My father is supportive. My dad said the most hilarious thing when I told him what I was going to do on the show,” she said in an interview with Time. DeGeneres, who married actor Portia de Rossi in 2008 continued, “He said, ‘You’re not going to go all flamboyant, are ya?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, Dad, I’m going to completely change. I’m going to start wearing leather vests. I’m going to get one of those haircuts that they all have.’”
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Crediting her father, who “was very funny,” with her comedic prowess, DeGeneres said that she and her brother, Vance, “got our sense of humor from him.”
The animal advocate, whose show is filmed on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California, also shared a touching childhood memory she had of her father.
“We only took one family vacation. When I was a little girl, we came to this lot, to the Warner Bros. lot, and took the tour and went around. And now, I work on the Warner Bros. lot and I have my own stage with my name on it. So, he was really proud of that,” she said.
Ending the video, she shows a snapshot of outside, the beautiful blue sky above and a bright rainbow arching over the studio trimmed with her image and name.
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“I was leaving the building, and I looked back and there was a rainbow over the Warner Bros. studio. This looks photoshopped,” she said, referencing the shot. “This is what I saw after I talked to my dad and he died 10 minutes later after that,” she said. “Pretty amazing. … I got a rainbow before he died.”
It’s always heartbreaking to see someone who’s typically jovial, struggling with their words, as was the case with Ellen DeGeneres when she shared the news of her dad’s passing. Our heartfelt thoughts go out to her, even years later, we’re sure her loss is still painful.
What do you think of rainbows being a message from a deceased loved one?
