On November 21, 2018, Ellen DeGeneres turned a viral act of admiration into a major surprise for a Kenyan nurse known only as Lawrence, inviting him onto her show and giving him $25,000, roughly Sh2.5 million, together with other gifts.
Lawrence, who is a certified registered nurse caring for elderly people in the United States, had first reached out with a video explaining that he was inspired by DeGeneres and the way she treats people on her show.
“I wish to see you because I love you…I love what you do, I love how you surprise people, I love how you give people chances,” he said.
DeGeneres responded by bringing him onto the program, where the cash award and additional presents were revealed during one of the show’s recurring fan-surprise segments.
During the appearance, Lawrence said he grew up in Kenya and moved to the United States after winning a green card lottery. He said he arrived in New Jersey at 19 years old and faced a difficult adjustment, including repeated criticism over his accent and skin colour.
He also said he worked 16-hour shifts in health care so he could send money home for his siblings’ education. According to him, his sister is in college and his brother is in high school.
The same year, DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, also visited Kenya. They stayed at Giraffe Manor in Langata while travelling on to Rwanda for a wildlife fund project.
In one clip from the trip, the daytime host, then 60, fed a Rothschild’s giraffe, while another image showed Portia de Rossi, 45, offering snacks to the animals.
