What do you get the woman who has everything? For someone like Ellen DeGeneres, who has hosted one of the most popular talk shows for years, the list of things she needs or wants is probably pretty short. Yet her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, came up with a great idea for her 60th birthday.

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In January this year, de Rossi established a center in Rwanda to help with the conservation of their gorilla population and created The Ellen DeGeneres Wildlife Fund, which will be used to raise awareness for threatened species. This gift was presented to her during the show, and the host was overwhelmed with emotion, being brought to tears. In the months since, she's been working on how to get the project going, but hasn't had to search far for investors to pitch in.

During a recent episode of The Ellen Show, she was told that there was a mystery guest who wanted to pop in and say hello. This guest turned out to be actor Ashton Kutcher, who started to talk about the company he had recently invested in. The company, Ripple, has developed an app that allows people to safely transfer money to anyone around the world, using cryptocurrency and without waiting for individual banks to approve it.

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Ellen was clearly intrigued as to why Kutcher would turn up just to tell him about some technology he had invested in, but eventually, he explained what the connection was. Ashton said that Ripple was looking to help out those who are doing some good in the world, and she was the perfect candidate:

"I told them that there's this amazing human being, and all they ever do is think about other people they can give to. Whether it's in New Orleans, whether it's in Montecito, whether it's the people that come here, the people out there, you're always thinking about everyone else, and we wanted to show you that people are thinking about you."

That's when he shocked us all by offering to donate $4 million to her wildlife fund, leaving us  - and Ellen herself - speechless. Kutcher even gives Ellen the opportunity to press the button herself, transferring the millions into Rwandan francs in an instant.

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This isn't the first time that the actor has shown an interest in charitable causes. Back in 2009, Kutcher and his ex-wife, actress Demi Moore, established an international human rights organization. The DNA Foundation was created to help combat the exploitation of children and the spread of child pornography.

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Now, he has stepped away from acting entirely after co-founding the nonprofit organization Thorn: Digital Defenders of Children.

Back in April, he spoke to ABC News about his work, where explained that he has "been on FBI raids where I've seen things that no person should ever see". Now calling it his "day job," he is dedicated to stamping out child abuse and human trafficking across the world.

For Ellen's 60th birthday, her wife, Portia de Rossi, surprised her with a birthday gift on her talk show. One of Ellen's heroes is Dian Fossey, a scientist who studied gorillas in Africa, and founded a research center to protect them. So, Portia founded The Ellen DeGeneres Wildlife Fund to support global conservation efforts for endangered species. The thoughtful present brought the talk show host to tears.

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The first initiative of The Ellen DeGeneres Wildlife Fund was teaching gorillas how to dance. Just kidding. The first initiative was setting up a permanent home for mountain gorillas in Rwanda. Last week the couple made their long-awaited trip to Africa, which proved to be an unforgettable experience. On Instagram, they shared photos and videos spending quality time with the primates.

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Ellen documented the whole trip on social media, sharing photos of herself with elephants, giraffes, and all the amazing people she met on the way. Her conservation efforts are commendable, and it looks like the journey was a life-changing experience.

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However, one photo she took with local children was harshly criticized on social media. Some Twitter users felt like she was exploiting poverty. "A trip to Africa is not complete without the trademark poverty porn photo op." "Africans don't travel to your country to take pictures with your half-a-million homeless people. Please do better." "You landed at a nice airport and stayed at a lovely hotel before your trip to find poor African children to take pictures with."

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Kelechi Okafor, a London-based Nigerian actor, broke down why he felt Ellen's photo was offensive. "Dating sites are full of pictures where white people have dragged some unassuming Black child to pose with them while they visited 'the country of' Africa. It doesn’t make you look cool or well travelled, you just look like a d--khead who is deeply committed to their White Saviour Complex."

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That might seem like a cynical way to look at Ellen's photos. It's clear from her heartfelt captions that the trip meant a lot to her, and she wished to make a positive impact. But Okafor helps us understand his point of view, by imagining the reverse situation:

"Maybe my next project will travelling to rural areas of England and just taking pictures with random white children. Not telling them where it’ll be posted. I’ll caption the pics with “so lovely to meet Billy. So happy despite the lack of seasoning in his life. Inspirational."

Well, it seems like Ellen's heart was in the right place, but you can understand Okafor's perspective. There's more to Africa than the poverty-stricken areas that are featured so heavily in the media. When rich people travel to another country and photograph themselves with the poor, it can feel like exploitation. On the other hand, everybody loves Ellen, right?

Ellen Degeneres likes to surprise people. After "Selfie Kid" went viral during the Super Bowl Halftime Show, she invited him on as a guest, and a phone call from Justin Timberlake brought him to tears. A candid, unscripted moment is often better than a canned interview. Pretty soon her talk show will just be guests crying, cat videos and dancing, and the ratings will never be higher.

Jimmy Kimmel appeared on Ellen to promote his upcoming gig hosting the Oscars. His talk show is also known for emotional moments. He got choked up during a monologue responding to the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Before that, he advocated for affordable health care, sharing a harrowing story from personal experience: After his son, Billy, was born, doctors discovered a congenital heart defect. This required two risky, expensive surgeries. Many middle-class and lower-class families would not be able to afford such complicated procedures without generous health insurance.

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Some people have poked fun at Jimmy for how often he cries, while others have praised him, saying it takes a real man to wear his heart on his sleeve. The comedian's aware of the teasing, and says his tears are sincere; he's always been sensitive. "I’m a crier, I do cry, I’ve been known to cry," Jimmy confessed to Ellen. She replied, "You get very emotional and I love that about you... Everything you’re doing on the show; you’re using your voice for good, and you’re saying a lot of important things." (He's certainly come a long way from The Man Show.)

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Then Ellen surprised Jimmy with a special gift: At The Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, she arranged for one room on the Heart Institute floor to be named after his son, Billy, as a special tribute. In a live streaming video, hospital staff members - including one of Billy's heart surgeons - waved to Jimmy and showed off the brand new nameplate for The Billy Kimmel Room. "Thank you very much," responded Jimmy. "It means a lot to me." Once again, the talk show host was choked up, but hey, how can you blame him?

However, the surprises weren't over yet. Ellen revealed that some of Billy's nurses were sitting in the studio audience, to which Jimmy jokingly scolded, "You should be at work!" Then Ellen pledged to raise another million dollars for the Children's Hospital. That's right, another. When Jimmy first went public with his son's heart problems, Ellen helped raise the first million. You can tell why one of her favorite phrases is "Be kind to one another."

In a world where so many awful things happen, you can see why people appreciate the heartwarming surprises on Ellen. And if you feel cynical, you should go on the show as a guest. She'll make you cry, and you'll get a sweet present.

In a related story, Ellen Degeneres was brought to tears by this birthday gift from her wife Portia de Rossi...

An emotional Ellen DeGeneres has told fans how they can honor the late Stephen "tWitch" Boss over the Christmas period.

As well as his friends and fans, the talented choreographer and DJ for The Ellen Show - who tragically died by suicide just over a week ago - is mourned by his widow and three children this holiday season.

This week, 64-year-old DeGeneres posted a tearful video tribute to tWitch, which has since been viewed over two million times.

In the 90-second clip, DeGeneres says: "Hey, everybody. I just wanted to say the past 11 days have been really tough for everyone. Everyone is in pain and trying to make sense of it. We never make sense of it."

"The holidays are hard, I think, anyway," she continues, adding: "But to honor tWitch I think the best thing that we can do is to laugh, and hug each other, play games, and dance, and sing - that's the way we honor him."

She tells fans of tWitch to continue doing the things the late choreographer loved to do, including dancing, listening to music, and playing games. DeGeneres continues by telling her fans to hug each other and to tell our loved ones how much we love them and how much they mean to us. She also encourages everyone to "check in on people," and to let them know that "we're there for them."

DeGeneres ends the clip by saying: "Send love to one another."

Numerous fellow celebrities have also mourned the death of the popular 40-year-old star.

Michelle Obama posted to Twitter: "I was heartbroken to learn about the passing of Stephen 'tWitch' Boss, who I got to know over the years through my Let's Move! initiative and visits to The Ellen Show. My heart goes out to his wife, Allison, and his three children during this difficult time."

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson also paid tribute, writing: "Man I am so sorry to hear the heartbreaking news about Twitch. Great guy. Sending his family all the love, light, strength and mana. I've lost a lot of friends to the struggle. You never know what's happening between the ears. So sorry Boss family. Stay strong."

"Twitch was such a light and a beautiful soul… [...] Shocked and deeply saddened. My heart breaks for Twitch, his wife and children [...] Sending you love and strength [...]," Jennifer Lopez stated.

Initially responding to the loss of her friend, DeGeneres wrote in a tweet: "I'm heartbroken. tWitch was pure love and light. He was my family, and I loved him with all my heart. I will miss him. Please send your love and support to Allison and his beautiful children - Weslie, Maddox, and Zaia."

Our thoughts are with the family, friends, colleagues, and fans of tWitch during this difficult holiday season.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out for help and contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741, or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.

Featured image credit: Paul Treadway / Alamy

Ellen DeGeneres has found herself embroiled in an investigation into the working environment of The Ellen Show, after staff members working on the program recently alleged that they had been mistreated.

DeGeneres has since issued a public apology over the reports of mistreatment and misconduct on The Ellen Show. A portion of the apology reads:

"On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness - no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect."

"Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry.

"Anyone who knows me knows it's the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show."

The 62-year-old went on to explain that as the show's popularity increased, she made sure others did "their jobs as they knew I'd want them done".

"Clearly some didn't," she continued.

"That will now change and I'm committed to ensuring this does not happen again."

DeGeneres added: "As someone who was judged and nearly lost everything for just being who I am, I truly understand and have deep compassion for those being looked at differently, or treated unfairly, not equal, or - worse - disregarded.

"To think that any one of you felt that way is awful to me."

Variety reports that, while some senior creatives and producers returned to work this week, the investigation is ongoing.

Now, DeGeneres' wife, Portia De Rossi, has spoken out in support of the television host, just as a small number of stars began to speak out in public on behalf of DeGeneres.

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Taking to Instagram to share an image that includes the message "I Stand By Ellen," De Rossi wrote, "To all our fans....we see you. Thank you for your support."

Singer Brandi Carlile was among the first to weigh in publicly in support of DeGeneres in the wake of the allegations. Per Yahoo! she commented on De Rossi's post, writing;

“Ellen has made my life so much easier for me and other #LGBTQ people. I'll never stop being grateful for that, but more importantly she's NEVER stopped making life better and easier for all kinds of people. This attack is unprecedented,”

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This follows an Instagram post by star polo player Nacho Figueras, who took to Instagram to express his support for DeGeneres over the weekend.

“I have been patiently waiting for someone with more authority than me to speak up about what a great human being [Ellen] is," he wrote.

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“I have been very lucky to be on that show many times and I can tell you that it is a very well run machine, everyone was super nice, not just to me but to each other and anyone involved. I have seen Ellen act not just in her show but in public appearances in theaters where she is nice to absolutely everyone, the guy serving the coffee, the person in the elevator, the security guy and the owner of the venue.”

Per Variety, the new season of Ellen is scheduled to premiere on September 9.