Ellen: From Iggygate to Animal Advocate

Ellen turns her bad luck with pups around

By Ted Casablanca, John Boone Mar 31, 2010 3:12 PMTags
Ellen DegeneresJohn Shearer/Getty Images

You remember Ellen's scandal, infamously dubbed "Iggygate," right? How could you forget? It was pretty much the one time the much loved comedian got her image tarnished—and, even worse, it was when we saw happy-go-lucky El shed tears on her talk show.

Well, seems like with her latest charitable venture, Ellen has come quite the distance from her doghouse days. So how's the animal lover helping our four-legged friends now?

With a set of 10 commemorative Animal Rescue: Adopt-a-Shelter Pet postage stamps, of course, as we're sure you've seen in every postal display around the country. And how fab that Ellen's doing the push, right?

Of course.

But let's back up: In case you missed it, here's the quickie version of Iggygate. Ellen and wifey Portia de Rossi adopted a pooch named Iggy, but soon realized the pup wasn't exactly BFFs with their kitty cats. Already invested in the dog, Ellen gave him to her hairdresser, whose fam was looking for a doggy for their daughters—seems OK, right?

Wrong. El broke a cardinal rule of animal rescue, which she learned the hard way: If you and your puppy pal don't work out, the only place you can give him is to the original rescue organization. It's pretty clear that E.D. meant no harm and was trying to find a place for the pooch, but things got messy, to say the least.

That's all in the past, though.

Ellen has reestablished her good name after the rescue-attempt-gone-awry and now has a new campaign to help some down-on-their-luck dogs and cats find a loving home—tho, this time I'm sure with much less controversy.

The blond babe is using her daytime chatfest and social status to bring awareness to the good cause, which plasters the pusses of 10 lucky pups and kittens on 44-cent postage stamps. Working hand-in-hand with the U.S. Post Office, El is giving a too-adorable face to the cause of our helpless four-legged pals.

But just giving some face time to these shelter sweeties isn't enough, so Ellen and Halo Pets have teamed up to provide 1 million meals for pets in need. We at the A.T. are definitely ready to put the past where it belongs and help E.D. out with her newest cause.

Hey, we'd support Ellen in any cause she deems fit for her big heart. First puppy dogs, next Prop 8? Once she's on a roll, we think Ellen—with her millions of viewers—could do just about anything.

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Check out celebs with their best four-legged friends in our Very Important Pets gallery.