Ellen DeGeneres got emotional while remembering Kobe Bryant during the Monday, January 27 taping of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Kobe, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died in a tragic helicopter crash on Sunday, January 26, which was also Ellen’s 62nd birthday.
Ellen started the episode, which aired Tuesday, with an emotional monologue about Kobe’s death. She thanked the audience for attending the show then reflected on how “life is short.”
“Today is Monday. Yesterday was Sunday and it happened to be my birthday and the Grammy Awards. I was nominated. I didn’t win. Not the point,” the comedian joked as she started to cry. “Yesterday was a celebratory day and we got tragic news about Kobe Bryant and everything changed in a second.”
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“That’s what I want to talk about: Life is short and it’s fragile. And we don’t know how many birthdays we have,” Ellen continued. “We don’t have to have a birthday to celebrate. Just celebrate life.”
Photo credit: The Ellen DeGeneres Show/YouTube
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Ellen added, “If you haven’t told someone you love them, do it now. Tell people you love them. Call your friends. Text your friends. Hug them. Kiss them.”
Photo credit: INSTARImages
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During the episode, Ellen also remembered
Kobe’s previous appearances on the show. In 2018, he surprised one of the members of the NCAA champion Notre Dame women’s basketball team,
Arike Ogunbowale. He also appeared on the show in April 2019 to help a fan hit three-point shots.
Photo credit: INSTARImages
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On Sunday, Kobe and Gianna were headed to a youth basketball game with seven others, including the pilot, when
the helicopter crashed after encountering foggy conditions in Calabasas, California. All nine people perished.
Photo credit: INSTARImages
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Kobe and Gianna are survived by his wife Vanessa and Gianna’s sisters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months.
Photo credit: INSTARImages
“That’s what I want to talk about: Life is short and it’s fragile. And we don’t know how many birthdays we have,” Ellen continued. “We don’t have to have a birthday to celebrate. Just celebrate life.”
Photo credit: The Ellen DeGeneres Show/YouTube
Ellen added, “If you haven’t told someone you love them, do it now. Tell people you love them. Call your friends. Text your friends. Hug them. Kiss them.”
Photo credit: INSTARImages
“I know that I’m lucky to have a wife who loves me so much, even though I don’t have a Grammy. I get to come to work every single day with people who make me laugh. I love everybody I work with,” she said. Ellen married
Portia de Rossi in 2008 and they’ve been together since 2004.
On Sunday, Ellen wrote on Twitter, “Like everyone, I’m stunned and saddened by the news about Kobe Bryant. My heart is broken for his wife and family.”
During the episode, Ellen also remembered
Kobe’s previous appearances on the show. In 2018, he surprised one of the members of the NCAA champion Notre Dame women’s basketball team,
Arike Ogunbowale. He also appeared on the show in April 2019 to help a fan hit three-point shots.
Photo credit: INSTARImages
On Sunday, Kobe and Gianna were headed to a youth basketball game with seven others, including the pilot, when
the helicopter crashed after encountering foggy conditions in Calabasas, California. All nine people perished.
Photo credit: INSTARImages
Kobe and Gianna are survived by his wife Vanessa and Gianna’s sisters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months.
Photo credit: INSTARImages
