At the end, when everyone was already crying, Ellen DeGeneres said a few important words. It was the last episode of the lifestyle show named after her, whose motto for 19 years had been: Be kind! It sounds so simple: to be kind, merciful, compassionate; but who manages to do that, especially nowadays in a social climate that very often provokes the opposite of “child”?
“If I’ve managed to do one thing in these 19 years, it’s hopefully this,” Ellen began – yes, it’s enough just to mention her first name; she is one of the few people on this planet so famous that the first name is also a trademark: “I hope that I have encouraged you to really be yourself. And that you, should someone be brave enough to tell you who they really are are brave enough to support that person – even if you don’t necessarily understand it By opening your heart and broadening your horizons, you become more empathetic people and that ensures that the world will be a better place.”
Ellen spoke about the world, but of course she also spoke about herself. Ellen is also a brand because she is who she is; Because she fought to be who she is. Her influence on American pop culture, but also on society, could hardly be greater.
“When I started, the word ‘gay’ was forbidden on TV,” said Ellen, who has been married to partner Portia de Rossi since 2008: “I was never allowed to say ‘wife’, same-sex marriage was forbidden – I was still allowed don’t even say ‘we’ because that would have indicated I had a partner.” That’s how it was back when Ellen, after her beginnings in the stand-up scene (she was the first woman to be interviewed on Johnny Carson’s late-night show after her performance in 1986), got her own sitcom – which was cancelled was because of her homosexuality in 1998 in the magazine time made public.
Jennifer Aniston guested 20 times, the Obamas performed dances, Missy Elliot sang a duet with a fan
In the New York Times It said at the time: “The ABC executives didn’t want every episode to be about gayness, and at some point they decided it needed a signage for viewers because of that content.” Anyone who watches 1990s sitcoms today, in the USA they run in an endless loop, will probably notice how normal homophobia and misogyny were back then. There were also reservations about the afternoon lifestyle show in 2003, as Ellen now says: “Not because the show was different, but because I was different.”
Long story short, the show was a smash hit, Thursday’s episode was 3280. – Guest like the first episode in September 2003: Jennifer Aniston. When asked what she was doing at the end of the sitcom, she joked friend did, in a nod to Brad Pitt’s split: “I got divorced and I went into psychiatric treatment.” Of Ellen, she said, “It’s amazing the contribution you’ve made.”
Yes, The Ellen DeGeneres Show was a format in which celebrities felt comfortable: Aniston was a guest a total of 20 times, Michelle and Barack Obama performed dances, Missy Elliot sang a duet with a fan. But there were also ordinary people who could do something special and that’s why became famous, gifts to the public and donations to the needy were legendary – a total of more than 450 million dollars were collected in the 19 years. Ellen also got rich, earning almost $60 million a year in recent years.
It’s complicated being known as a be-kind lady
Ellen proved in the satirical-sarcastic America, rife with jokes about pretty much everything that was different, the male-white-heterodominant society that you could be funny and sweet; and that talent in the entertainment industry is more important than race, gender, sexual orientation. The motto is always: Be kind! That nearly spelled her undoing in 2020, when it was revealed that the show’s production wasn’t always nice; there were reports of a hostile working environment. The allegations weren’t against her, but she was the face, the name, the brand. She apologized, fired senior staff, and she said, “Being known as a be-kind lady is complicated.”
Ellen is 64 years old – too early to retire. “Take it as a little break,” she said during this last show: “You can now watch other shows, I can try something new.” Musician Pink sang the title song “Today’s the Day” again, which she had written especially for Ellen. She said, “I want you to be able to make other people happy and do good, to feel like you have a purpose in life.”
Then she sat on her couch and turned off the TV. The stage closed, showing only one word that is synonymous with a person who is who they are; who fights to be who she is; and that advocates for people to be a little nicer to each other. It just said: Ellen.