Being a celebrity couple comes along with a lot of (sometimes nasty and often unwanted) attention, but instead of being bothered by rumors, Portia de Rossi told Us Weekly in 2018 that the buzz makes her feel accepted.
“The divorce rumors came and then we really knew the perceptions had changed,” she explained regarding her same-sex marriage with Ellen DeGeneres. “I’m not kidding. I know it sounds ridiculous, but when that started happening I thought, ‘Oh, now we’re finally accepted.’ We get the same s**t as every celebrity couple.” De Rossi added, “I thought, ‘Wow, this is great that I’m pregnant, not pregnant, divorced, not divorced, whatever. That means there is an acceptance for this.”
DeGeneres similarly explained why they don’t mind the false facts surrounding their marriage to the titular host of The Howard Stern Show. Although she doesn’t read the tabloids herself, she explained that de Rossi’s publicist stays on top of press and once let them know about claims being made about DeGeneres having an alleged affair. The actress’ PR pro suggested that they sue, but DeGeneres admitted, “We’re kind of flattered because for a while no one cared about us and we thought, ‘Oh, lesbians aren’t, you know, worthy of tabloid stories.’ So now we’re kind of flattered that they even care about us.” At least these two have a positive perspective on what could otherwise put a strain on other relationships.
