ELLEN DEGENERES - ELLEN'S THUMB FIGHT WITH ANISTON

Comedian ELLEN DEGENERES started her stint as a daytime chat show host today (08SEP03) by thumb wrestling JENNIFER ANISTON.

The FRIENDS star, Ellen's first guest, was handed a cigarette dispensing decorative donkey as a gift, but had her eye on a pair of elbow-length evening gloves the host was planning to auction off for charity - and so DeGeneres offered to fight her for them.

Ellen won, but Aniston admitted she was thrilled just to get the cigarette dispenser.

She said, "My husband's going to love that."

Ellen had another treat in store for her pal - she has employed an artist to draw caricatures of all her guests, and she handed the Friends star her own image.

Ellen joked, "You look more like KELLY PRESTON, but that's not a bad thing."