Quotes from the Iconic 1997 TIME Cover Story and Other Interviews
"Now, I feel completely comfortable with myself, and I don't have to be fearful about something damaging my career if it gets out, because now I'm in control of it -- sort of."
"I hate that term 'in the closet,'" says Ellen DeGeneres, the aforementioned sitcom star whose all-pants wardrobe and sometimes awkward chemistry with male ingenues was provoking curiosity from fans and reporters long before her sexuality became a minor national obsession. "Until recently I hated the word lesbian too," she continues. "I've said it enough now that it doesn't bother me. But lesbian sounded like somebody with some kind of disease. I didn't like that, so I used the word gay more often."
"When I decided to have my character on the show come out, I knew I was going to have to come out, too," DeGeneres told Time. "But I didn't want to talk about it until the show was done.
"I never wanted to be the lesbian actress. I never wanted to be the spokesperson for the gay community. Ever. I did it for my own truth."
1997
In an episode of Ellen in February 1997, Ellen's character revealed her homosexuality through a kiss between her and another female character on the show. Ellen was featured on the cover of the April 1997 TIME Magazine (which is now considered one of the most iconic and popular covers of TIME), accompanying an interview on why she decided that its time to come out. On April 30th 1997, Ellen's character also came out on an episode of The Ellen Show. In this staged episode titled "The Puppy Episode", Oprah Winfrey plays Ellen's psychiatrist. When Oprah's character asks Ellen "Has there ever been anyone you felt you clicked with? What was his name?", Ellen responded with "Susan". While she received applause from people in the audience, the ratings of her shows dropped significantly and subsequently was cancelled.
After her public announcement, she experienced much difficulty in finding jobs for the subsequent years that followed. Companies such as Chrysler and J.C Penney retracted their agreements to buy airtime of "The Puppy Episode" as well as other episodes of the show. Other companies took away their advertisement deals.
2014
However, 17 years later - Ellen's coming out story can be seen as a defining moment in the LGBT community. Within the world of television, ABC's Happy Endings, NBC's Smash and NBC's The New Normal (written and produced by Ryan Murphy of Glee) all feature homosexual characters and have been cancelled. In January 2014, it was announced that NBC and Ellen Degeneres are working together to create a pilot episode for a new "lesbian comedy".
Below is a scholarly article by Jennifer Reed who provides an analysis on the impact and effect that Ellen has made from a feminist perspective, as well as a segment from "The Puppy Episode".
"I hate that term 'in the closet,'" says Ellen DeGeneres, the aforementioned sitcom star whose all-pants wardrobe and sometimes awkward chemistry with male ingenues was provoking curiosity from fans and reporters long before her sexuality became a minor national obsession. "Until recently I hated the word lesbian too," she continues. "I've said it enough now that it doesn't bother me. But lesbian sounded like somebody with some kind of disease. I didn't like that, so I used the word gay more often."
"When I decided to have my character on the show come out, I knew I was going to have to come out, too," DeGeneres told Time. "But I didn't want to talk about it until the show was done.
"I never wanted to be the lesbian actress. I never wanted to be the spokesperson for the gay community. Ever. I did it for my own truth."
1997
In an episode of Ellen in February 1997, Ellen's character revealed her homosexuality through a kiss between her and another female character on the show. Ellen was featured on the cover of the April 1997 TIME Magazine (which is now considered one of the most iconic and popular covers of TIME), accompanying an interview on why she decided that its time to come out. On April 30th 1997, Ellen's character also came out on an episode of The Ellen Show. In this staged episode titled "The Puppy Episode", Oprah Winfrey plays Ellen's psychiatrist. When Oprah's character asks Ellen "Has there ever been anyone you felt you clicked with? What was his name?", Ellen responded with "Susan". While she received applause from people in the audience, the ratings of her shows dropped significantly and subsequently was cancelled.
After her public announcement, she experienced much difficulty in finding jobs for the subsequent years that followed. Companies such as Chrysler and J.C Penney retracted their agreements to buy airtime of "The Puppy Episode" as well as other episodes of the show. Other companies took away their advertisement deals.
2014
However, 17 years later - Ellen's coming out story can be seen as a defining moment in the LGBT community. Within the world of television, ABC's Happy Endings, NBC's Smash and NBC's The New Normal (written and produced by Ryan Murphy of Glee) all feature homosexual characters and have been cancelled. In January 2014, it was announced that NBC and Ellen Degeneres are working together to create a pilot episode for a new "lesbian comedy".
Below is a scholarly article by Jennifer Reed who provides an analysis on the impact and effect that Ellen has made from a feminist perspective, as well as a segment from "The Puppy Episode".
Public Lesbian Number One by Jennifer Reed | |
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