13 Things that prove that Ellen DeGeneres was the saving grace of 2016

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It’s been a huge year for Ellen DeGeneres.

She’s starred in movies, celebrated her eighth wedding anniversary with wife Portia and transformed the lives of hundreds of people with her generosity.

Oh, and she received the highest civilian honour possible – The Medal of Freedom – from President Obama. No biggie.

Here’s a rundown of Ellen’s most heartwarming moments from 2016:

1.When she surprised an Orlando shooting survivor with Katy Perry.

After the horrors of the Orlando massacre – a hate crime which killed 49 people and wounded 53- Ellen invited one of the survivors, Tony Marrero, to share his story on The Ellen Show.

Little did Tony know that Ellen had arranged for his idol, Katy Perry, to come out and surprise him.

Tissues at the ready, folks.

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This is the moment Orlando survivor Tony Marrero met Katy Perry on Ellen DeGeneres’s show. What she does for him is amazing!

2.When she nearly made Obama cry

It was hard enough to watch Ellen blink back tears as she received the Medal of Freedom, but when we heard Obama choking up too? Game over.

Ellen was awarded America’s highest civilian honour in a ceremony in November, alongside other incredible film and TV stars, scientists and sportspeople.

3.When Obama claimed she’d done more for LGBT rights than he had

And if that wasn’t enough of a kick in the feels, check out Obama making an impassioned speech about Ellen’s legacy on her show.

Ellen batted away the comments with her usual humour, saying “I’m not really gay…”

Obama Left Ellen Degeneres Speechless After She Thanked him for Advocating For LGBT Americans

Ellen Thanked Obama For Advocating For LGBT Americans. What He Said Next Left Her Speechless. Ellen, Obama, ellen degeneres,m the ellen show, best moments on ellen show,. Ellen show compilation. Funny ellen, obama and ellen interview Two minutes of incredible television. Ellen Thanked Obama For Advocating For LGBT Americans.

4.When she and Portia celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary.

Ellen and wife Portia are #relationshipgoals.

Not only do they frequently declare their love for each other on TV and online, for years they also arranged a plane to write it all over the sky each anniversary.

Congratulations for year eight!

13 Things that prove that Ellen DeGeneres was the saving grace of 2016

5.When she and Emma Stone twerked, vogued and tap danced

Ellen recruited La La Land star Emma Stone to play new game ‘Last Dance’ and the results were hilarious – particularly Emma’s failed attempt at twerking and Ellen’s lacklustre Whip Nae Nae.

Last Dance with Emma Stone

Ellen and “La La Land” star Emma Stone shook their groove things in this new game!

6.When she and Britney Spears tore up her local shopping centre

Shoplifting, taking dimes out of the fountain, eating a free ice cream banquet at Pottery Barn – Ellen and Britney caused some major mischief when they explored Westfield shopping mall.

Ellen and Britney Spears’ Mall Mischief

What happens when Ellen and the music icon go to the mall? Shenanigans, and ice cream, of course!


7.When she and Tom Hanks did Woody versus Dory

The two acting legends improvised a scene with their Pixar movie characters, Woody the cowboy and Dory the fish, and our hearts melted.

Ellen and Tom Hanks Have a Pixar-Off!

The stars of “Finding Dory” and “Toy Story” reprised their iconic roles as Dory and Woody for a one-of-a-kind improvised scene!

8.When she told an interviewer Portia would be ‘the prettiest fish in the ocean.’

In an interview around the release of Finding Dory, Ellen gushed about her wife and clambered adorably to find something suitably cute to say about her.

EXCLUSIVE: Ellen DeGeneres Calls Wife Portia de Rossi ‘The Prettiest’

The ‘Finding Dory’ star tells ET what kind of fish her wife Portia would be, and it’s the sweetest thing you’ll hear all day.

9.When she forgot her ID

Even people as famous as Ellen need to carry ID, yet the talk show host seemingly forgot this on the way to the White House and was left stranded on a bench.

Her Twitter call out reversed the situation and she was later let in to receive her medal.

13 Things that prove that Ellen DeGeneres was the saving grace of 2016

10.When she called out fake news

She cautioned her audience to beware fake news and take them like she takes her margaritas, with a grain of salt.

She also pointed to a website which was as fake as Dolly Parton’s boobies.

Really Fake News

Ellen spoke with her audience about being more cautious about what you believe when you read the headlines.

11.When she and Jennifer Anniston played Heads Up…in sumo suits.

Ellen and Jennifer Anniston aren’t just showbiz pals but good friends in real life.

In 2016, Ellen showed support for the F.R.I.E.N.D.S actress on her talk show, after Jennifer penned a heartfelt essay criticising the tabloids and their treatment of women.

After the serious talk, they got in some sumo suits and twerked. Of course.

Jennifer Aniston and Ellen Have Some Sumo-Sized Fun!

Ellen and her gorgeous friend suited up to play a larger-than-life round of a hilarious game!

12.When she won an award for her epic selfie

Yes, that famous Oscars selfie was finally acknowledged with an award in 2016.

Deserved!

13 Things that prove that Ellen DeGeneres was the saving grace of 2016

13.When she surprised her ‘best friend’ by paying for her sick kid’s hospital bills

After she heard the sad tale of a young female fan with a desperately sick child, Ellen surprised the woman on her show with $10,00, a bunch of gifts and the chance to meet her ‘best friend.’

The woman had spent weeks in hospital, watching Ellen’s show up to three times a day.

Ellen’s Biggest Fan Gets an Amazing Surprise

Ellen helped her new best friend Jamie keep her spirits up when times were tough for her and her infant son. Then she decided to bring her to the show and blow her mind in person!

We love you Ellen!

Did we miss any of your favourite moments? Let us know in the comments.