When you think about Ellen DeGeneres, you may not think in terms of revolutionary, but throughout the course of her thirty-years in the entertainment industry, she has covered a lot of ground.
Before her award-winning talk show, Ellen was a stand-up comic who made early appearances on television in the 1980s, culminating in her own sitcom during the early 1990s. It was during the height of her sitcom’s popularity that Ellen came out as a lesbian on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Her character in the sitcom also came out that same year in one of the highest-rated episodes of the series. Ratings declined the following season, and the show was then canceled, but Ellen kept on keeping on, as she is still famous for doing.
Everyone was shocked to learn that she was a lesbian, even her mother. Despite the surprise of this revelation, her mother has since become one of Ellen’s largest support systems. And with good reason; there is more to Ellen DeGeneres than her sexuality.
Her personality and humor is contagious. During the ’90s she was compared to Jerry Seinfeld on account of her knack for pointing out the obvious, but there’s something a little more personable about Ellen that makes audiences want to watch her. Never knowing what she’ll say or do next keeps them captivated, and makes for entertaining celebrity interviews on her daytime talk show.
Unlike many of her daytime competitors, Ellen avoids the controversial, tabloid-esque issues. There are no baby daddies, cheaters or DNA tests on her show, just good, old-fashioned fun and entertainment. Every morning she kicks things off with a dance, encouraging the studio audience to get up and dance with her. There is a casual air about her talk show that makes you feel as though she’s right there in your living room, sharing your morning with you.
One of the things I respect most about Ellen is that she touches the lives of everyone she possibly can. Most mornings while watching her show I find myself in tears, as she gives away cars, vacations and stacks of money to people who are struggling to make ends meet. She has helped single moms get back on their feet, families recover from job loss and newlywed couples who couldn’t afford an escape take a much deserved honeymoon.
Ellen’s generosity inspires. It may not seem like much, but she’s helping people in her own backyard. Many people criticize celebrities for stepping out of their element to help people in foreign countries, while there are people on their own home turf struggling to survive. Helping people is helping people though, no matter where they are, and the fact that she makes an effort to help the everyday people who watch her show is a beautiful thing.
Coming out was a huge risk for Ellen’s career. Despite the unraveling restrictions on personal sexuality that really took off in the 1990s, the rules don’t always apply to those in the spotlight. As an advocate for gay and lesbian rights, she even went up against John McCain on the issue of gay marriage. Through being herself and refusing to fall into the cookie-cutter expectations of society, she has continued to pave the way for women everywhere, no matter their sexuality, and that makes her an amazing lady!
