The news that Ellen DeGeneres will host the 2014 Oscars produced an array of responses, with many weighing the pros and cons of DeGeneres once again handling emcee duties. As it turns out, DeGeneres is right there with you. The talk-show host opened Tuesday's "Ellen DeGeneres Show" with her own pros and cons for hosting the ceremony.


"The last time I hosted was in 2007 and it was so fun. It was an honor," she said. "But it is a big decision. The way I deal with making big decisions -- I think a lot of people do this -- I make a pros-and-cons list. I thought I would take you on a journey inside my mind, which is scary; hold on. I thought I'd read you some pros and cons from my list." DeGeneres then pulled the list out of her sock before diving in ...


Pro: I get to perform in front of 60 million people.

Con: Oh my God, 60 million people watch that thing.


Pro: I’ll be invited to all the cool Oscar after-parties.

Con: I like to be tucked in by 7:30.


Pro: Meryl Streep could get a record 17th Oscar nomination.

Con: Hashtag we’re over it, Meryl.


Watch the full rundown in the video above.




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  • 1981-1987


    DeGeneres got her comedy start as the emcee at a standup club in in New Orleans. Videotapes of her performance led her to receive Showtime's "Funniest Person in America" title in 1982. By 1986, she made her "Tonight Show" debut and was asked to join Johnny Carson on his couch afterward -- the first such honor for a female comedian and the moment that she says "catapulted" her career.




  • "Ellen" (1994 - 1998)


    DeGeneres received massive acclaim with her sitcom "Ellen," which ran from 1994 to 1998. Despite the show's success and DeGeneres' consecutive Best Actress Emmy nominations, her career took a significant turn on April 30, 1997, when the famous "Puppy Episode" aired, featuring DeGeneres' character Ellen Morgan confessing she is a lesbian. The show was suddenly met with intense backlash. It was renewed for one more season, with each episode containing a "parental advisory" warning, and was canceled thereafter.




  • April 14, 1997


    In conjunction with "The Puppy Episode," DeGeneres revealed her own sexuality with a now-famous TIME magazine cover that said "Yep, I'm gay" as well as an announcement on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." In addition to her sitcom's subsequent cancellation, DeGeneres could not find work for three years as a result of the backlash to her revelation. The comedian has since said she spent much of that time steeped in depression.




  • 2001 - 2002


    In 2001, DeGeneres attempted to revive her career with another sitcom. "The Ellen Show" saw her portraying another lesbian, but this time without her character's sexuality becoming the central focus of the show as it did on "Ellen." The show failed to gain any momentum and was cancelled after only one season.




  • Nov. 4, 2001


    It can be argued that DeGeneres's career resurgence began when she hosted the 2001 Primetime Emmy Awards less than two months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The ceremony had been pushed back twice in response to the nation's somber mood, leaving DeGeneres with a big task on her hands. "What would bug the Taliban more than seeing a gay woman in a suit surrounded by Jews?" she asked during the monologue. Relying on her usual upbeat comedy, she received widespread acclaim for her funny but delicate hosting job and inspired a new legion of fans to embrace her.




  • Dec. 15. 2001


    A month after her lauded Emmy gig, DeGeneres hosted "Saturday Night Live" for the first time, furthering her mainstream revitalization.




  • 2003


    But if the Emmys and "SNL" weren't enough, it was 2003 that provided the comedian's official welcome mat back into America's hearts. Her uproarious turn in "Finding Nemo," as the forgetful Dory, earned her universal praise and cemented her comeback. It was the year's second highest-grossing film, earning $340 million domestically. One month after the movie's release, the standup special "Ellen DeGeneres: Here and Now" aired on HBO.




  • September 2003


    "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" premiered Sept. 8, 2003, to instant success. DeGeneres' mix of high-profile celebrity guests and wacky segments, including her signature dance moves, earned her ratings that hover around 4 million per day. The show's first season took home the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show, an honor it would receive again for three additional consecutive years. To date, the show has won 32 Emmys.




  • Feb. 25, 2007


    After returning to her former Emmy gig again in 2005, DeGeneres hosted the mecca of all award shows when she took the stage at the 2007 Academy Awards. The first openly gay celebrity to host the Oscars, DeGeneres' performance was once again praised.




  • Aug. 16, 2008


    DeGenered wed actress Portia de Rossi, her girlfriend of four years, during California's brief overturn of Proposition 8. The marriage was ruled valid, and de Rossi has since changed her legal name to Portia Lee James DeGeneres.




  • 2010


    In an unexpected turn, DeGeneres joined the judges' table for the ninth season of "American Idol," replacing Paula Abdul. Her stint on the show was met with mixed reactions, and DeGeneres left "Idol" the following year, saying it "didn't feel like the right fit."




  • 2010


    DeGeneres was named the No. 10 most powerful woman in the world by Forbes. Today, the magazine cites her new worth as $53 million and ranks her the 34th most powerful celebrity.




  • November 2011


    Secretary of State Hillary Clinton named DeGeneres a special envoy for global AIDS awareness.




  • April 2013


    DeGeneres announced on her talk show that "Finding Dory," a sequel to "Finding Nemo," would hit theaters Nov. 25, 2015.