Ellen DeGeneres’s Childhood Dream Was To ‘Move To Africa’ And ‘Take Care Of Gorillas’

More than a year after her life-changing trip to Africa, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi continued their ongoing support for gorilla conservation by hosting a star-studded concert called Gorillapalooza. At the event, which raised more than $5 million, Access Hollywood co-host Kit Hoover talked to Ellen and Portia about their passion project, which began as a childhood dream of the talk show host’s. “When I was 12 years old, this was what I wanted to do,” she told Access. “I wanted to move to Africa, I wanted to take care of gorillas, I wanted to do what Dian Fossey was doing. I went in a whole different direction, and now because I went in a different direction, I’m able to do this.” Ellen also revealed that she “cried like a baby” sitting at Dian’s original desk, considering she was her “idol growing up.”