When it comes to daytime television, Ellen DeGeneres [1] is one of the most beloved hosts [2] of all time, but her career wasn't always smooth sailing. In a new interview with Parade magazine, the star, who voices the main character in Disney Pixar's upcoming film Finding Dory [3], opened up about the many obstacles she has faced over the years and how she has learned to just keep swimming. Not only does she touch on her family relationships, but she also gushes about her genuine love for her wife [4], Portia de Rossi [5].

• On her conservative upbringing: "My father was a first reader in the Christian Science Church, which is similar to being a preacher. There was no drinking, smoking or cursing. I didn't see deep emotion from my parents. It was all very polite and very surface. I never knew how anybody was feeling. Because of that religion everything was fine all the time."
• On how her past influenced her lighthearted comedy: "I was very sensitive, and I still am. I never want to hurt anybody. I want to make people laugh. I didn't think it was ever funny to make fun of people. There's so much to laugh at without it being at someone else's expense."
• On having her sitcom canceled after her character came out: "It was a sucker punch. I didn't expect it. I knew that there was a big chance that this was the end of my career. But I'm grateful for it. I got to start over again and create this talk show. There are people who don't know about the sitcoms, or my stand-up comedy. They think I'm just a talk show host. That's fine with me."
• On how she deals with the media attacking her marriage: "I don't pay attention [to rumors]. But we've been followed recently by the paparazzi, and we found out it's because there's a story out there that we're getting divorced. We don't know why. We're together all the time. We genuinely love each other. Her happiness is my happiness, and vice versa. True love is caring more about the other person's happiness than your own."