Portia de Rossi Ellen Degeneres

Daytime talk show maven Ellen Degeneres paid special tribute to former President Barack Obama on her show. On Thursday’s episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the star shared: “I want to personally thank [Obama] for changing my life.”

The 58-year-old comedienne continued: “I am a legally married woman because of him and so is my wife. His courage and compassion created equality for everyone. He moved us forward and made more happen in the past eight years than I ever dreamed possible. I love him. I love Michelle.”

Influential gays lobbied successfully for Obama to flip flop on his stance on traditional marriage.

In the summer of 2015, with Obama’s blessings, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is a legal right, which Obama hailed as a “victory for America”.

Degeneres and her life partner, actress Portia de Rossi, 43, tied the knot in 2015.

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