Ellen DeGeneres Helped Wife Portia de Rossi Land Her Role on ABC’s ‘Scandal’

Ellen DeGeneres and her wife of nearly six years, Portia de Rossi, are doing better than ever despite reports of marital issues, and Closer can exclusively reveal the key to their happiness is Ellen’s support for Portia’s career.

Portia recently landed a coveted role on the hit ABC series Scandal, and Ellen helped her get the gig!

“She convinced Shonda Rhimes, the creator of Scandal, to hire Portia for a story arc in the fall,” an insider reveals to Closer. “It was a grand gesture of love — Ellen knows that the best way to keep Portia’s mind off of their problems is to have her dive into work.”

While the duo have clashed over work in the past, according to the insider, the busy talk show host used to prefer having Portia all to herself at home, but now, “Ellen has had a huge breakthrough that was addressed in therapy. She’s trying to rebuild Portia’s self-esteem.”

And for the record, says the source, “Portia had no problem with Ellen going to bat for her to get the job.”

“Portia’s confident she can handle it,” the source tells the mag. “She’s no stranger to work, and she’s pulled through well on other shows when she’s had personal issues going on.”

And a longtime friend of the actress tells Closer, “If there were an opportunity to join Scandal full-time that would certainly be appealing.”

For more on Ellen and Portia’s relationship and for all the details regarding Portia’s new role on Scandal, pick up the new issue of Closer Weekly, on stands now!