Ellen Degeneres just gave her audience $1m

'That's a lot of money!'

Chelsea Ritschel
in New York
Friday 02 February 2018 17:19 EST
Comments
Ellen gives her audience $1 million to split

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Ellen DeGeneres has once again proved her generosity - this time by giving her audience $1m.

As part of her two-day birthday celebration, Ellen celebrated the second day by filling her audience with people who had made a difference in the world by “sharing good,” as part of her One Million Acts of Good Campaign.

The audience members invited to the show had written in about their acts of kindness - and Ellen wanted to reward them all for their part in making the world a better place.

Asking each audience member to check for a box of Cheerios under their seat, Ellen then told the audience “you are all going to share this gift. It is the biggest gift I have ever given anybody, ever.”

The talk show host continued: “I hope you continue to pay it forward and share all the good,” before announcing the huge prize.

One of the biggest cash prizes ever awarded on the show, Ellen, in collaboration with Cheerios, announced that each audience member would get a portion of a $1m prize - and the audience members understandably went wild.

While the audience applauded, cried, and held each other, Ellen cheered: “That’s a lot of money!”

Among the audience was a couple who drove 800 miles to deliver supplies after Hurricane Harvey, a teacher who donated a kidney to the mother of one of her students, and a man who quit his job to start a sanctuary for farm animals.

The audience cheered and screamed after Ellen announced the prize (YouTube)
The audience cheered and screamed after Ellen announced the prize (YouTube)

Split amongst them, each do-gooder walked away with around $2,500 for their acts of kindness.

Audience members reacted with surprise and joy to the news (YouTube)
Audience members reacted with surprise and joy to the news (YouTube)

Ellen, who recently turned 60, is well known for her dedication to giving back, and rewarding others for their generosity.

Earlier this week, the talk show host was moved to tears after her wife, Portia de Rossi, gifted her her own wildlife fund, the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund - a permanent home for gorillas in Rwanda.

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