deGENEROUS - an analysis on the likability of Ellen Degeneres
The daytime talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which premiered in September of 2003, is currently on its 13th season and has been recently renewed for 4 more. While Ellen DeGeneres is now a household name within North America, it may be hard to believe that there was once a time when her sexuality overshadowed her career just a decade ago. When DeGeneres came out as a lesbian in 1997, companies retracted airtime and advertising agreements while ratings for her show Ellen plummeted and subsequently resulted in its cancellation. However, these experiences only contributes to her journey in not only asserting herself as a homosexual female comedian, but becoming an Emmy Award winning talk show host as well as being ranked as one of the most influential (TIME) and powerful (Forbes) people of the 21st century. This analysis aims to examine what makes Ellen DeGeneres and The Ellen DeGeneres Show a success amongst other daytime talk shows as well as across the television spectrum.
NBC, in which The Ellen DeGeneres Show was first aired, “describes the user-friendly nature of DeGeneres and her show [as] accessible, approachable, relatable, [and] everywoman” (Bociukiw, 2005, p. 180). When compared to other daytime shows, “[The Ellen DeGeneres Show] is not as assiduously life-altering as Oprah, not interested in chasing controversy like The View, or in co-opting the Rachael Ray recipe of chat 'n' chew. Instead, Ellen's show has become the destination for big-name celebrities who want to connect with an audience that may find Conan too absurdist, Chelsea too mean” (Tucker, 2010, p. 68). Tucker goes on to suggest that the reason why celebrity guests enjoy being on her show specifically is because “Ellen has created this safe haven where stars can go to either reveal small bits of news or show off their I'm-just-like-you bona fides (2010, p. 69). With celebrities such as Jimmy Kimmel who chose to announce his wife’s third pregnancy on Ellen over his own late night show or Madonna revealing her childhood experiences with bullying, there is evidence behind Tucker’s first argument. Although Ellen is known for playfully asking questions to her guests that everyone wants to know (i.e. romantic rumours), her exchange between her guests seem more like a casual conversation between two friends rather than an interview, which is largely due to how personable Ellen is as a person. The second argument that Tucker suggests is that Ellen creates opportunities for celebrities to reveal how regular and weird they actually are. The second segment with the celebrity guest consists of them playing games with Ellen and/or other audience members or a clip of a skit they performed together. For example, Zac Efron and Taylor Swift took part in one of Ellen’s popular segments titled Ellen’s Dance Dares where the two were filmed dancing behind unknowing strangers. Another example is when Ellen DeGeneres and guest Jennifer Aniston did a skit with Courtney Cox and Matthew Perry (Aniston’s costars from Friends), which the video then became viral on Youtube because of how much interest there is from fans of the show for any sort of reunion.
Another reason why The Ellen DeGeneres Show has established such a unique frontier in syndicated television is because it also encourages and arguably thrives on the contribution of audience members and viewers. While other daytime shows also have live studio audiences that asks for their opinions and have giveaways of prizes, there is an integrated role for the audience in The Ellen DeGeneres Show. With every new season, there is an increased portion of the hour long show that is dedicated to featuring stories of everyday people. Ellen and her team creates such a welcoming atmosphere for anyone to send in a story of themselves or people that they think have a story that is deserving enough to be on the show. In this way, the audience feels as if they have a two way personable connection with someone who is considered one of the most influential and powerful people of our generation. During the show’s first season, a man emailed Ellen expressing that his pregnant wife is her biggest fan and that it would make a good surprise present for her if the two could meet. Ellen invited them onto the show and “[the] couple was clearly thrilled to meet Ellen DeGeneres and like so many fans, [thought] of her as a friendly presence, if not a real friend. This is perhaps the important cultural citizenship work DeGeneres is doing on television” (Reed, 2005, p. 34). The importance that Ellen puts on highlighting and sharing real life stories makes us more aware of the world around us and promotes faith in humanity. The reason why DeGeneres’ show will keep its high ratings is because there will always be an abundance of touching stories to share and we as viewers will always need that lift and reminder of the good in humans. Likewise, the personal efforts that Ellen puts into these stories embodies her values and beliefs in simply being kind to one another, making her more likeable amongst audience members and celebrities.
In a world where social media is now integral in our daily lives, measurements in power and influence must be calculated with those tools in mind. Ellen, who has her own Twitter, Instagram, Vine, and Facebook page account, utilizes these tools as other ways for her viewers to participate using hashtags and contests, which then could potentially be featured in a segment of the show. The way in which she integrated with her viewers using prevalent social media tools keeps her up in technological trends and contributes to her likability and relatability. If she keeps it up, then her success will continue because there will always be a way for audience members to participate and tell Ellen what they want to see.
Last, the success of The Ellen DeGeneres Show can be credited to the fact that the host is personal yet professional. Instead of expressing her personal opinions on politics and society, she “scrupulously avoids preaching” (Tucker, 2010, p.69) and focuses more on the equality of humans. “DeGeneres speaks in a double voice, for the show constantly comments on itself in a self deprecating manner by going behind the scenes, profiling production assistants alongside Hollywood stars and inviting audience members to dance in the aisles. a kind of reality-show-meets-talk show hybrid approach, DeGeneres performs herself as an endearingly inept host” (Bociukiw, 2005, p. 180). She creates a casual and fun atmosphere on her show, often inviting her audience members to interact with her celebrity guests as well as finding ways for her production team and deejay to also become onscreen participants. In this way, it proves how thoughtfully well Ellen treats others, which increases her fan base and friends and subsequently her successful ratings.
It is exciting to think how far Ellen has picked herself up from the failure of her sitcom and reputation merely a decade ago. In a quote from Ellen herself, she expresses her opinion that “ . . . people watch me on TV and go, ‘she’s telling us who she is, she’s not hiding anything. That’s who she is and that’s what’s relatable about her” (DeGeneres). As she became more comfortable with her sexuality and herself, she was able to create a more distinct image of herself. “Ellen DeGeneres’ work offers moments of challenge to the dominant, and opens spaces for the marginalized to occupy. This is precisely her strength” (Reed, 2005, p. 25). While her television time slot suggests that the show is first seen by people who stay at home during the day, DeGeneres’ accessibility allows her to reach to more than one viewing audience and this can be seen as a step towards assimilation. Perhaps, Ellen DeGeneres and The Ellen DeGeneres Show is so successful because she is such a personable and fun individual who understands the simple importance in being kind to one another. Her show will continue to be successful as long as there are stories to be told and different ways for those stories to reach an audience.
Word Count: 1352
NBC, in which The Ellen DeGeneres Show was first aired, “describes the user-friendly nature of DeGeneres and her show [as] accessible, approachable, relatable, [and] everywoman” (Bociukiw, 2005, p. 180). When compared to other daytime shows, “[The Ellen DeGeneres Show] is not as assiduously life-altering as Oprah, not interested in chasing controversy like The View, or in co-opting the Rachael Ray recipe of chat 'n' chew. Instead, Ellen's show has become the destination for big-name celebrities who want to connect with an audience that may find Conan too absurdist, Chelsea too mean” (Tucker, 2010, p. 68). Tucker goes on to suggest that the reason why celebrity guests enjoy being on her show specifically is because “Ellen has created this safe haven where stars can go to either reveal small bits of news or show off their I'm-just-like-you bona fides (2010, p. 69). With celebrities such as Jimmy Kimmel who chose to announce his wife’s third pregnancy on Ellen over his own late night show or Madonna revealing her childhood experiences with bullying, there is evidence behind Tucker’s first argument. Although Ellen is known for playfully asking questions to her guests that everyone wants to know (i.e. romantic rumours), her exchange between her guests seem more like a casual conversation between two friends rather than an interview, which is largely due to how personable Ellen is as a person. The second argument that Tucker suggests is that Ellen creates opportunities for celebrities to reveal how regular and weird they actually are. The second segment with the celebrity guest consists of them playing games with Ellen and/or other audience members or a clip of a skit they performed together. For example, Zac Efron and Taylor Swift took part in one of Ellen’s popular segments titled Ellen’s Dance Dares where the two were filmed dancing behind unknowing strangers. Another example is when Ellen DeGeneres and guest Jennifer Aniston did a skit with Courtney Cox and Matthew Perry (Aniston’s costars from Friends), which the video then became viral on Youtube because of how much interest there is from fans of the show for any sort of reunion.
Another reason why The Ellen DeGeneres Show has established such a unique frontier in syndicated television is because it also encourages and arguably thrives on the contribution of audience members and viewers. While other daytime shows also have live studio audiences that asks for their opinions and have giveaways of prizes, there is an integrated role for the audience in The Ellen DeGeneres Show. With every new season, there is an increased portion of the hour long show that is dedicated to featuring stories of everyday people. Ellen and her team creates such a welcoming atmosphere for anyone to send in a story of themselves or people that they think have a story that is deserving enough to be on the show. In this way, the audience feels as if they have a two way personable connection with someone who is considered one of the most influential and powerful people of our generation. During the show’s first season, a man emailed Ellen expressing that his pregnant wife is her biggest fan and that it would make a good surprise present for her if the two could meet. Ellen invited them onto the show and “[the] couple was clearly thrilled to meet Ellen DeGeneres and like so many fans, [thought] of her as a friendly presence, if not a real friend. This is perhaps the important cultural citizenship work DeGeneres is doing on television” (Reed, 2005, p. 34). The importance that Ellen puts on highlighting and sharing real life stories makes us more aware of the world around us and promotes faith in humanity. The reason why DeGeneres’ show will keep its high ratings is because there will always be an abundance of touching stories to share and we as viewers will always need that lift and reminder of the good in humans. Likewise, the personal efforts that Ellen puts into these stories embodies her values and beliefs in simply being kind to one another, making her more likeable amongst audience members and celebrities.
In a world where social media is now integral in our daily lives, measurements in power and influence must be calculated with those tools in mind. Ellen, who has her own Twitter, Instagram, Vine, and Facebook page account, utilizes these tools as other ways for her viewers to participate using hashtags and contests, which then could potentially be featured in a segment of the show. The way in which she integrated with her viewers using prevalent social media tools keeps her up in technological trends and contributes to her likability and relatability. If she keeps it up, then her success will continue because there will always be a way for audience members to participate and tell Ellen what they want to see.
Last, the success of The Ellen DeGeneres Show can be credited to the fact that the host is personal yet professional. Instead of expressing her personal opinions on politics and society, she “scrupulously avoids preaching” (Tucker, 2010, p.69) and focuses more on the equality of humans. “DeGeneres speaks in a double voice, for the show constantly comments on itself in a self deprecating manner by going behind the scenes, profiling production assistants alongside Hollywood stars and inviting audience members to dance in the aisles. a kind of reality-show-meets-talk show hybrid approach, DeGeneres performs herself as an endearingly inept host” (Bociukiw, 2005, p. 180). She creates a casual and fun atmosphere on her show, often inviting her audience members to interact with her celebrity guests as well as finding ways for her production team and deejay to also become onscreen participants. In this way, it proves how thoughtfully well Ellen treats others, which increases her fan base and friends and subsequently her successful ratings.
It is exciting to think how far Ellen has picked herself up from the failure of her sitcom and reputation merely a decade ago. In a quote from Ellen herself, she expresses her opinion that “ . . . people watch me on TV and go, ‘she’s telling us who she is, she’s not hiding anything. That’s who she is and that’s what’s relatable about her” (DeGeneres). As she became more comfortable with her sexuality and herself, she was able to create a more distinct image of herself. “Ellen DeGeneres’ work offers moments of challenge to the dominant, and opens spaces for the marginalized to occupy. This is precisely her strength” (Reed, 2005, p. 25). While her television time slot suggests that the show is first seen by people who stay at home during the day, DeGeneres’ accessibility allows her to reach to more than one viewing audience and this can be seen as a step towards assimilation. Perhaps, Ellen DeGeneres and The Ellen DeGeneres Show is so successful because she is such a personable and fun individual who understands the simple importance in being kind to one another. Her show will continue to be successful as long as there are stories to be told and different ways for those stories to reach an audience.
Word Count: 1352