Flashback: Ellen DeGeneres Recalls Her Family’s Hurtful Reaction To Her Coming Out

In 1997, while Ellen DeGeneres’ fictional character came out as a lesbian on a history-making episode of her self-titled sitcom, the comedian was in the midst of her own real-life coming-out journey as well. As Ellen revealed to Oprah the same day that her monumental “Ellen” episode aired, there were a variety of responses to her coming out publicly ? some supportive, some cruel and some extremely complicated. Ellen’s father, for example, seemed to struggle with his acceptance.