Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres is a comedian and actress who pioneered mainstream LGBTQ+ visibility when she came out as lesbian in April 1997 via a Time magazine cover story headlined "Yep, I'm Gay," simultaneously having her sitcom character Ellen Morgan come out on the episode "The Puppy Episode" — the first lead character on a US prime-time sitcom to do so. The show was cancelled the following season under advertiser pressure, and DeGeneres faced a difficult few years professionally. She rebuilt her career with The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003–2022) and has been married to actress Portia de Rossi since 2008. Her 1997 coming out remains one of the most significant moments in LGBTQ+ pop culture history.