Ellen Degeneres Shocks Her Audience With A $1 Million Giveaway

Comedian and talk show host Ellen Degeneres brings fun and laughter into peoples’ lives on a daily basis. Since its debut in 2003, The Ellen Degeneres Show has remained a ratings hit with millions tuning in to dance along with the host, watch her hilarious pranks, and share some laughs. But Ellen is known for so much more than her ability to make people laugh. Rarely does a guest leave her show without a gift that’s special to them, whether it’s because of hard times or because of how they’ve been giving back to their own community. And many times, Ellen shares the love with her studio audience like she did on January 2, but this is one giveaway that left the audience in shock: $1 million.

In October, Ellen partnered with Cheerios to create One Million Acts of Good. She encouraged people to share their good deeds on Ellen Tube with the hope that one million acts would be reached. The audience for Thursday’s taping of Ellen’s show only included people that had taken part in Ellen’s campaign for kindness. The crowd had received a special invite as they had helped achieve the goal of reaching those acts of good, over one million of them, and Ellen wanted to thank each and every one of them.

During the taping, Ellen encouraged the audience members to look beneath their seats, telling them that anyone with a box of Cheerios would win a prize. When every member revealed a box, Ellen made the whopping announcement that everyone in the studio would be splitting $1 million. The studio seats 400 so, potentially, 400 people walked away with $2,500 each.

“You’re all going to share this gift. It’s the biggest gift I’ve ever given anybody, ever. And I hope you continue to pay it forward and share all the good. Hold onto your Cheerios because all of you are splitting one million dollars! That’s a lot of money!”

Ellen always ends each show by saying “be kind to one another,” and, through her encouragement, many people reaped the benefits of One Million Acts of Good. She ended Thursday’s taping by saying she hoped people would continue to pay it forward and share the good.