. >> when ellen came on the air, there was no lbgtq representation at all. >> ellen show did not start with a show about -- it was ab about -- ellen wanted to he will the truth and have her character do so. ellen, are you coming out or not? >> yes, quit jerking us around and come out already. >> come on. what's the big deal? i got a whole hour. >> i don't think you canover state what was at stake for ellen degeneres in terms of coming out. >> she was having an outstanding career and this pressure cooker had been mounting and her show really was what blew the lid off of it. >> susan, i gay. >> ellen morgan came out coincide with ellen's character. >> if tfrs not difficult, i would have done it a long time ago. >> it became a national event. >> it felt so great and loud. >> she must have felt a huge relief. >> i mean she was us. she was america but she just was gay. >> organizations objected to the idea of a gay person coming out on national television. >> sitcom "ellen" is being cancelled after one year the character came out as a gay less i don't know. >> you would drop the fire becaus

but ellen wanted to tell her truth and also have the character do so. >> ellen, are you coming out or not? >> yeah. quit jerking us around and come out already. >> come on. >> what is the big deal? i've got a whole hour. >> i don't think you can overstate what was at stake for ellen degeneres in terms of coming out. she'd had a fantastic career as a stand-up. she was having not just a tv but film career at the time. >> this pressure cooker had been just mounting, and her show really was what -- >> susan, i'm gay. >> it was an incredibly pivotal moment in television when ellen morgan, ellen degeneres's character, came out. and it coincided with ellen degeneres's own coming out, which was a brave thing to do when you're the lead of a sitcom. >> if it wasn't difficult, i would have done it a long time ago, and everybody else who's closeted who's in this business would do it. >> it really became a national event. >> that felt so great, and it felt so loud. >> she must have felt a huge relief. >> i mean she was us. she was america, but she just was gay. >> but conservative and religious or

it was an incredible pivotal moment in television when ellen morgan, ellen degeneres' character came out. it coincide of her character coming out. >> it was not differicult, i wod have done it a long time ago, it became a national event. >> that felt so great. it felt so loud. >> i mean she was us. she was america but she just was gay. >> religious organizations objected to the idea that a gay person coming out on national television? >> hey, wild and fools. >> the abc's sitcom ellen cancelled. >> i believe because the show was so gay, yes. >> the fact that the show didn't continue must have been extremely traumatic and hard on her. helen was driven out of the industry for a while. there was a backlash. i think that threaten to put a chill on development of any more shows. you could find an executive that says look at what happened with ellen. your skin isn't just skin, it's a beautiful reflection of everything you've been through. that's why dove renews your skin's ceramides and strengthens it against dryness for softer, smoother skin you can lovingly embrace. renew the love for you

. >> for god's sake, ellen, tell him you're gay. >> you're talking about gay rights. you're talking about women's rights. >> gender diversity. >> dismantling the patriarchy. >> you know, sexual revolution. >> so i'm officially out of men to [ bleep ]. i have to get married or move. >> but if you can make them laugh, then maybe we'll watch it again. ♪