Ellen Degeneres Introduces New Business Partner and Baby E.D.

Ellen Degeneres has already proven her massive influence and reach through her epic Academy Awards selfie. She's conquered Oprah Winfrey's territory through her highly successful talk show and has also been recently reported to be a successful house flipper. This year, she is wandering into Martha Stewart's territory through the launch of her Lifestyle brand called E.D. with a new business partner.

Ellen has brought in a new man in her life! No, this is not to say that Ellen has jumped the fence amid divorce speculations that have been surrounding her relationship with wife Portia De Rossi. Ellen's new partner Chris Burch of Tory Burch fame, and Burch Creative Capital will be Ellen's business partner in this new venture.

E.D. pronounced simply "Ed" is a lifestyle brand set to be launched in October this year and it will be offering a wide range of lifestyle products. With Ellen's recent success in flipping houses, the product range is expected to include home decorations, gift sets, garden equipment, men and women's clothing and accessories as well as a range of pet products. This won't be Ellen's first foray into marketing such items as she has been promoting and selling various products through her talk show and website most prominently her line of Ellen underwear which she would sometimes give out to guests in her talk show.

Ellen sees this venture as something she will take on and turn into a full-blown lifestyle brand and not just a side project, something that she can pursue even long after her talk show ends as reported in an interview with WWD.

The comedienne is not going into this venture without experience and expertise behind her. The dream team that Ellen has formed to back her venture involves executives that have been involved with Target Corp., Macy's Merchandising Group and Isaac Mizrahi. While the project involves many creative minds and business strategists and marketers, Burch insists that Ellen is the driving force and the heart and visionary of the project. He insists that the business will not just be licensing Ellen's name and will be run by ghost executives in the background.

The brand is banking on Ellen's ability to connect to people and this authenticity will hopefully attract consumers to patronize the brand. The launch in the last quarter of the year is targeting the holiday season and all the gift-giving that surrounds it.

The full range of products is expected to come out in Spring next year.