Melissa McCarthy And Ellen DeGeneres Help Mother-Daughter Duo Pay For College With A Game Of Beer Pong
It’s no secret that Ellen DeGeneres loves surprising people on her show, especially when they’re in need.
A recent episode of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” with guest Melissa McCarthy was no exception. Of course, the show was filled with the laughs we all expect to see when the hilarious duo is in the same room. But after all the fun, a heartwarming moment helped a mother and daughter achieve their dreams.
From “Bridesmaids” to “The Boss,” McCarthy always seems to have a new movie in the works and next up is “Life of the Party,” in theaters this Mothers’ Day weekend. Written by McCarthy and her husband, actor Ben Falcone (who also directed the film) “Life of the Party” is about McCarthy’s character going back to college after a divorce. Her daughter in the film is also attending the same college, which as you can imagine will make for some funny — and probably embarrassing — moments.
After talking a bit about the new film, McCarthy and DeGeneres then played a game with a mother and daughter duo, both of whom have a wish of graduating from college.
Police officer Chassidy Jackson-Goodwin and her daughter Jaida Jackson, from Lincoln, Neb., were surprised to be asked to play a version of the popular college game beer pong. For each cup the mother-daughter team were able to throw a ball into, they won $1,000 — for a total of $7,000.
The generosity didn’t end there, however, with DeGeneres revealing she knew a bit more about the mother and daughter than they realized: Jackson-Goodwin struggles to afford college for her daughter and also wishes she could go herself.
To help, DeGeneres revealed that Shutterfly will give them $25,000 to go toward their education. While they’re already overwhelmed, McCarthy then tells them “Life of the Party” will be matching that donation and she and Falcone will personally be throwing in another $25,000.
That’s a total of $82,000 with donations and the winnings from the game, which is sure to help these women pay some tuition bills.
Watch the sweet moment below:
Congratulations, Chassidy and Jaida! We’re so happy to hear you’re one step closer to your dreams coming true!