Ellen DeGeneres' Girlfriend Was Killed in a Car Accident. The Tragedy Inspired DeGeneres' Career-Defining Stand-Up Routine
In 1980, a young Ellen DeGeneres was devastated when her girlfriend was killed in a car crash. Losing someone she loved while in her twenties awakened DeGeneres to the fragility of life. It also resulted in her famous "Phone Call to God" routine, as she wanted an all-knowing deity to explain why her girlfriend was gone when fleas were still around. When she wrote the bit DeGeneres was a fledgling comic living in Louisiana, but she was certain the material would provide her with a breakthrough moment in her comedy career — and she turned out to be right.