Ellen DeGeneres' passion and commitment to animals, and admiration for world-renowned primatologist, Dian Fossey, are featured in the two-hour special, SAVING THE GORILLAS: ELLEN’S NEXT ADVENTURE, premiering on Saturday, September 23 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel. The documentary follows the comedian as she fulfills her dream of protecting Fossey’s legacy by building the The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda. In honor of World Gorilla Day, the special will have an encore presentation on Sunday, September 24 at 10PM ET/PT on Animal Planet and will be available to stream on Max and discovery+.

What begins as Portia de Rossi’s simple desire to come up with a nice birthday gift for her wife, Ellen DeGeneres, snowballs into something bigger than anybody could have imagined. The couple find themselves embarking on one of the largest architectural and landscaping projects in the history of Rwanda, only to collide with challenges like volcanoes, earthquakes, and a global pandemic. It all culminates in a once-in-a-lifetime experience for them, their family and friends as they celebrate the opening of The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. It is an adventure filled with laughter, tears, and experiences none of them ever dreamed they'd have. At the center of it is Ellen, doing things that are not only life-changing for hundreds of others, but that affect an entire nation and give the mountain gorillas a hope for survival greater than they've ever had before.

“Every single thing has led me to just have a big enough platform to say, ‘Look at work Dian Fossey did,’” explains Ellen DeGeneres in the documentary. “There’s nothing that keeps you more present, more in the moment, than sitting with gorillas.”

“We are so thrilled to partner with Ellen, Portia, and their team to bring this amazing Gorilla conservation journey to life on screen,” said Craig H. Shepherd, EVP at Zero Point Zero Production. “Their impact on conservation and the immediate community in Rwanda is an inspiration for all.”

Since its opening in February 2022, the award-winning Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund has served as a catalyst for conservation action for gorillas and the surrounding biodiversity. The campus has hosted over 40,000 visitors, with roughly half coming from Rwanda and the rest from countries around the world. More than 7,500 local school children have participated in field trips to the campus, providing them with the opportunity to learn more about the biodiversity in their backyard and have hands-on experiences in nature.

In addition to watching SAVING THE GORILLAS: ELLEN’S NEXT ADVENTURE on Discovery and Animal Planet, viewers can join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #SavingTheGorillas and following Discovery on Facebook, Instagram and X as well as Animal Planet on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

For Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, SAVING THE GORILLAS: ELLEN’S NEXT ADVENTURE is executive produced by Christopher Collins, Lydia Tenaglia, and Craig H. Shepherd for Zero Point Zero Production; and Ellen DeGeneres and Jeff Kleeman for A Very Good Production. The special is directed by Abigail Harper.