'Ellen's Greatest Night of Giveaways' is proof the talk show host is the best Santa ever and will leave you in tears
Day one of the holiday special event opened with iconic talk show host Ellen DeGeneres teaming up with some of the most powerful personalities of the country and fulfilling people's holiday wishes.
In the premiere episode, Ellen got together with former First Lady Michelle Obama and actors Jennifer Anniston and Sterling K. Brown to reach out to families, individuals and children, who have been a little down-on-their-luck and extremely deserving for a Christmas spirit boost.
The show opened with Michelle visiting the Randle Highlands Elementary School in Washington DC, where teachers have been struggling to maintain and/or add newer resources, computer equipment, or even have sports facilities for their students.
A large percentage of the students here are homeless or in foster care, which makes it all the more difficult for both the school and students to manage costs.
Michelle and Ellen raised a donation of $100K to help the school administration get the best they can, so their students can continue with their education uninterrupted.
Later, she also helped the school out by offering to build a basketball court and surprise every kid and their parents and teachers. The icing on the cake was that she also brought iPads for every child so they could use latest technology and be on par with other students.
The giveaway also included a free educational program from Apple Inc and support from the Obama Foundation.
Next up, we saw actor, producer and philanthropist Jennifer Aniston visiting Ellen on the set to help out a family who had lost their mother to cancer, leaving their father struggling to make ends meet for the two daughters.
Jeff Kimball and his two daughters walk us through their tragic story. Meanwhile, Ellen surprises them by doing a makeover of their humble house into a full-fledged holiday-themed home with new fixtures, luggage, and a pile of gifts under a gorgeous Christmas tree.
Later, even before the family could get over the shock-and-awe of such an incredible gift, Aniston offered them a month-long trip across Europe and $150K to help the struggling family get through tough times.
Last, but not the least, we saw Rico El-lis from LA, who spins signs for a living. 'This Is Us' star Sterling K.Brown spots him on the streets and offers him a job for quick money. But when Rico discovers the real reason, he cannot hide his surprise and overflow of emotions.
Brown gifts him a white Mustang which makes Rico's life. He also visits Ellen on the show, where she gifts him with a job on the set as well as an extra $100 K.
With such incredible support and gifts to some of the most deserving people, Ellen marks the beginning of her giveaway and becomes the perfect Santa these people could ask for.
Stay tuned for more such giveaways in the upcoming episodes, with guests like Chrissy Teigen, Jason Momoa, Justin Timberlake, Stephen and Ayesha Curry, Robert Downey Jr., Michael B. Jordan, and Melissa McCarthy.
'Ellen's Greatest Night of Giveaways' will air for three days from December 10 through December 12 at 8 pm ET/PT only on NBC.