ABOVE: Ellen DeGeneres, photo via DeGeneres’ Facebook page.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) announced on November 4 Ellen DeGeneres will receive the Carol Burnett Award at the next Golden Globe Awards.
DeGeneres, a three-time Golden Globe nominee, is the second recipient to be honored with the accolade (the first was Carol Burnett herself) and will accept the honor at the annual Golden Globes presentation on Sunday, January 5, 2020. The ceremony will air live coast-to-coast on NBC.
Lorenzo Soria, President of the HFPA, said, “The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is delighted to honor Ellen DeGeneres with the Carol Burnett Award. From her sitcoms, to stand-up, to becoming a household staple on daytime television, she is a pioneer who has captivated audiences for nearly 25 years with her undeniable charm and wit.
In addition to her television success, she’s an advocate and philanthropist, lending her voice to those who don’t have one, and spreading kindness and joy through the power of her platform. We look forward to celebrating her achievements at this year’s ceremony.”
According to HFPA, the Carol Burnett Award is chosen by the organization’s Board of Directors to be presented annually “to an honoree who has made outstanding contributions to the television medium on or off the screen.”
As the television landscape It was established to celebrate television’s “new Golden Age,” as the landscape of the medium “continues to evolve with more thought-provoking programming, diverse roles and best in class content.” Equivalent to the Motion Picture Academy’s Cecil B. DeMille Award, the new top honor was first introduced at the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
It’s not the first time DeGeneres has been recognized with an award. Her groundbreaking sitcom “Ellen” earned her multiple Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy nominations. She received an both an Emmy and a Peabody Award in 1997 for writing the critically acclaimed “Puppy Episode,” in which her character came out as gay to a record 46 million viewers.
Her hit syndicated talk show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” has earned a total of 63 Daytime Emmy Awards so far. In addition, DeGeneres has won 12 Teen Choice Awards, she is a 21-time People’s Choice Awards winner, the winner of a Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and, most recently, the winner of her fourth Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite TV Host for “Ellen’s Game of Games.”
In November 2016, DeGeneres was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the nation’s highest civilian honor – presented by President Obama.
DeGeneres is also widely known for her humanitarian efforts.
The Ellen Fund, established in 2018, supports global conservation efforts for critically endangered species. The first initiative of the fund is to build The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, with the goal of permanently securing the future of wild gorillas in Rwanda by building on successful field conservation efforts while empowering the people living near the gorillas to thrive in relationship to their ecosystem.
DeGeneres also helped raise awareness of the anti-bullying issue with a PSA titled, “Be Kind.”
Overall, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” has raised over $95 million for various causes.
