Legally changed her name to Portia Lee James DeGeneres on September 23, 2010, taking the last name of her spouse Ellen DeGeneres.
First husband Mel Metcalfe left her to be with de Rossi's brother Michael Roger's wife, Renee Kappos. Metcalfe and Kappos eventually married.
Admitted to have married her first husband Mel Metcalfe mainly in order to obtain a Green Card for a permanent stay in the US. De Rossi didn't acknowledge her attraction towards women when they married.
Her wedding with Ellen DeGeneres on August 16, 2008, took place
at their house in Beverly Hills, California, and was attended by her
mother and brother and by Ellen's parents.