DALLAS, TX - On Jan. 27, former comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres shared a video of a pickleball-themed cake that was prepared for her 66th birthday.

This was no ordinary cake with pickleball and paddle frosting designs alone, of course. 

Once lit, the top layer - featuring a "Happy Birthday" message - burned off to reveal Ellen’s name and a pickleball-themed pattern underneath.

And it looked delicious.

Under the circumstances, I think it’s safe to say that DeGeneres loves pickleball.

Although The Ellen DeGeneres Show is a thing of the past, Ellen's YouTube channel is full of humorous segments and slices of life featuring both her and her wife, Portia de Rossi.

It was only a matter of time before pickleball popped up on there, too.

This past September, DeGeneres posted a video playing pickleball with her good friend and former TV Producer, Andy Lassner.

“I’ve been playing pickleball for a long time and people were making fun of me saying it was the fastest growing senior’s sport,” she joked. “That’s true, but everyone is playing it now. And I love pickleball so much.”

Playing with two paddles that truly embrace the wacky side of the sport named after a pickled cucumber, DeGeneres taught Lassner the basics.

He picked it up quickly, and the pair then played a game of singles.

What followed was an 11-1 blowout by DeGeneres with lobs aplenty. Lassner also fell into a bush and, at one point, ran to get a ball at the kitchen line and yelled, “I’m in the kitchen sink!”

It’s the classic banter that fans of the show loved and now miss immensely.

“I thought it was a fun game. She’s Ellen, given me a great life, I’m going to let her win,” said Lassner after coming up short.

Ever since DeGeneres started playing pickleball with de Rossi in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, she has been a vocal advocate for the sport.

DeGeneres even partnered with Paddle Candy, powered by Vulcan, to create limited edition paddles that supported The Ellen Fund, a non-profit that funds global conservation efforts for endangered species.

DeGeneres may not be on TV screens every weekday anymore, but now you can catch her on the pickleball court.