PHOTOSAre Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi Getting Divorced?! See Pics of The Couple in Happier Times
Jan. 28 2015, Updated 2:36 p.m. ET
Animal-rescue advocates waited for more than an hour for Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi to materialize at an L.A. fund-raiser on Oct. 26. The couple didn’t show, and sources tell OK! that it was because they got into a heated argument on the way to the event. “Ellen wants the world to believe that she and Portia are happier than ever,” says the source. “But in reality, they aren’t. They haven’t been happy for years.”
Click through to see more pics of Ellen and Portia in happier times and to find out why their marriage might be in jeopardy.
Insiders say that the couple’s fights have become more frequent lately due to Portia’s newfound confidence. Previously, Ellen would control every aspect of her wife’s life, but now that Portia has a role on Scandal, she’s stepping out of her wife’s shadow for the first time in their six-year marriage.
In addition to boosting her self-esteem, the new role also keeps Portia away from home more often. “Ellen can’t stand that Portia isn’t always available when she calls or texts her,” the source adds. “They’ve had massive arguments over it.”
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It’s not surprising that Ellen would take issue with Portia’s independence. The Aussie actress has always played second fiddle to her talk show titan wife, which has led to friction in their marriage and may have contributed to the drinking problem that landed Portia in rehab in May. “Portia’s passion is acting, but she feels like her relationship with Ellen has stalled her career. She’d have offers for gigs, but Ellen would tell her the job wouldn’t fit their schedule,” the insider says. “Now that she’s sober, Portia realizes how unhappy she was, and she resents Ellen for expecting her to give up her career.”
The source says Ellen is convinced she can save their marriage but adds that “she wants to do it on her own terms.” For the TV host, that means smiling through her pain and talking on her show about how proud she is of Portia—even if, behind closed doors, she’s struggling to accept her wife’s strong new persona.
For more on the story, pick up the latest issue of OK! magazine, on stands now.
