Back in 1997, Ellen DeGeneres publicly came out as a lesbian on the cover of Time magazine: “Yep, I’m Gay,” read the headline. She then appeared on the April 30, 1997, episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and spoke with the talk show host regarding her potentially career-ending news. Just hours later, an episode of her then-popular ABC sitcom, “Ellen,” saw her character also come out to her therapist, who was played by Oprah. It was a huge pop culture moment: Her “Ellen” character, Ellen Morgan, officially became the first gay character to lead a TV show while the real-life Ellen became the first openly gay actress to portray a lesbian on television. Years later, while reconnecting with Oprah during a 2015 Master Class interview, Ellen reflected on the milestone, sharing that though she received backlash, the experience of publicly coming out also allowed her to deeply connect with fans: “I remember the first letter I got, where somebody said I saved their life. They were going to kill themselves and they didn’t because of what I did,” she said.
