PROVO, Utah – Jun 11, 2015 – Comedian Ellen DeGeneres has hosted many noteworthy guests on her hit talk show—think President Obama, Meryl Streep, and Oprah. So it came as a surprise when her phone rang during the show and on the other end of the line was EMPA alum Chris Banford.
Banford teamed up with DeGeneres to surprise his wife, Mary, who was sitting in the audience. Banford is an officer in the National Guard and is on assignment at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri—a six-hour drive from his wife and two sons in Oklahoma. To make the drive easier, DeGeneres surprised Mary with a new Ford Escape and a date night in honor of the couple’s tenth wedding anniversary.
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Writer: Alex Burch