Portia de Rossi celebrated her 50th birthday Tuesday by surprising Ellen DeGeneres, her wife of more than 14 years, with a renewal of their vows.
On Thursday, the YouTube account for DeGeneres’ talk show shared video of the ceremony. The guest list reportedly included Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The footage shows de Rossi, wearing the same Zac Posen gown she wore to her 2008 wedding, approaching a visibly stunned DeGeneres in the dining room of their home as Brandi Carlile performs an acoustic rendition of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.”
“Stand right here and do as you’re told,” de Rossi instructs DeGeneres before none other than Kris Jenner appears to officiate the ceremony.
In a short speech, Jenner described the two women as “couple goals” and a “match made in heaven,” adding: “Their love and commitment to one another is amazing, and it makes me so happy that they have each other to love and cherish and grow old with.”
Watch video of the ceremony below.
A moment later, de Rossi explained her decision to renew her vows at what DeGeneres and guests had assumed would be her birthday fête.
“When I was thinking about what would make my birthday really special, apart from being with family and friends, it was reminding you that you’re the most important thing in the world to me,” the actor said. “You cheer me up when I’m down. You make me feel seen. You make me feel safe, cherished, loved … I am so honored to be your wife.”
After the couple shared a sweet kiss, DeGeneres appeared to be at a loss for words.
“I love you and I would not be on this earth without you,” she told de Rossi. “You save me every day. Thank you for saving me every day. I’m the lucky one.”
Kelly Sullivan via Getty Images
DeGeneres and de Rossi were introduced at a 2001 concert and began dating about three years later. The couple were married on Aug. 16, 2008, in Los Angeles.
Speaking to People magazine in 2021, DeGeneres described de Rossi as having been her “rock” following a damning 2020 BuzzFeed report featuring testimonials from current and former “Ellen DeGeneres Show” staffers who claimed they’d been subjected to toxic working conditions. (The BuzzFeed parent company bought HuffPost in 2021.)
“It broke my heart; I couldn’t have gone through everything I went through without her,” explained DeGeneres, who ended her talk show last year after 19 seasons. “She kept me going and tried to help me put things in perspective.”