| Page
1 / 2 / 3 - Home
Since
the debut of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ellen’s
popularity has skyrocketed. Her talk show generates audiences of
1.4 million viewers a day, and has been buoyed by the buzz of success,
enabling it to book superstars like Tom Cruise, Britney Spears,
and Elton John (the fact that Ellen is almost universally liked
in Hollywood helps, too). NBC Television Stations president Jay
Ireland said in a statement, “Her dynamic personality, wonderful
sense of humor and ability to connect with the audience is the key
to her success. The series is not only bringing more viewers to
our stations, but has great demographics.”
Ellen
seems to be on top of the world now—she has a successful talk
show, and she has a successful long-term relationship with girlfriend
Alexandra Hedison, a photographer. Considering how far she was pulled
down after coming out to the nation, it’s a miracle that Ellen
DeGeneres has survived and is still making people laugh.
Despite
these laudable successes, some gay and lesbian viewers
have criticized Ellen for not being gay enough on her new talk show.
Ellen told Out Magazine this month, “I don’t understand
what people would want me to do—the people who say I’m
not gay enough. Gay people, we just eat our own. We do not support
one another nearly enough. It’s really a shame.”
Watching
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, it’s clear that Ellen has
learned from the experiences in her past. Talking to The Advocate
in 2001, she noted, “I know that the baggage that I have now
is because everyone thought I got so political.” Having been
seriously burned by the media and the public for coming out, it’s
understandable that she wants to avoid feeling that way again. She
wants to go back to what made her successful in the first place:
comedy that is friendly and quirky, and is not about being gay.
This
doesn’t mean that she avoids the topic at all times on her
talk show; she often makes jokes that are only funny because the
audience knows that she is gay (like, telling Justin Timberlake
that she was "just as disgusted as he was about the Britney-Madonna
kiss at last year's VMA's, or introducuing Sex
and the City's Jason Lewis last week as "an attractive
man, if you like that sort of thing"). She has also had openly
gay guests on her show, such as Elton John, Melissa Etheridge, and
the Indigo Girls.
What
is somewhat disappointing about her show, however, is that
she avoids making any statement that could be even vaguely interpreted
as “political.” Ellen has always been uncomfortable
with the idea of being a gay icon or a political role model, and
she has always insisted that she only wants to be a comedian. Unfortunately,
celebrities do not always get to choose what they want to be known
for, and for better or worse, Ellen will always be identified with
her national coming out party in 1997. She may be known as a funny
comedian, but she will also always be known as a lesbian.
As
a talk show host, Ellen has a lot of power to influence the way
Americans think about gays and lesbians. She breaks down stereotypes
about lesbians everyday simply by being herself on TV, but it is
regretful that she never voices support for any gay rights causes.
In the past week, when San Francisco’s decision to issue marriage
licenses to gay couples was making headlines across the country
and on talk shows everywhere, for example, Ellen did not make even
one reference to this historic moment in civil rights.
The
Ellen DeGeneres Show is not about politics; it’s about
fun. But it’s obvious why Ellen has been criticized by the
gay press for softpedaling her lesbianism. Even when she is provided
with a clear opportunity to support the people who love her (and
despite our disagreements with Ellen, we love her like family) she
does not step up to the plate. It was strange to watch her interviewing
Melissa Etheridge—who recently “married” her partner
Tammy Lynn Michaels—right after Valentine’s Day weekend
in San Fransico, and yet never hear a word about marriage from either
of them.
Ellen
has often asked just-married heterosexual guests about their weddings,
but seemed to think even mentioning Melissa and Tammy's was too
political--despite the fact that mainstream television shows (like
ABC's Celebrity Weddings) and magazines (like People) have
featured it extensively.
We
all know now that Ellen wants to be a comedian, not a politician.
That’s okay. We all know that although comedians make political
jokes all the time, Ellen does not. That’s okay too. We all
know that she has had to work extra hard to remake herself in the
wake of the disaster that followed her coming out, and some of that
work has involved a certain amount of distancing from the word “gay.”
That’s understandable.
Obviously
Ellen is gay and always will be gay; every interview she agrees
to focuses in some part on her lesbianism. And sure, she probably
gets tired of talking about it and just wants to get on with her
work as a comedian. But her avoidance of any gay-related
topics, even when it is not only appropriate but necessary, veers
toward outright rejection of the gay community.
Many
of us do look up to Ellen because her
actions were incredibly significant, and her success in pushing
through the discrimination she faced after coming out is certainly
inspiring. By persevering and succeeding as an out gay entertainer
(and one that is idolized by millions of straight Americans), Ellen
has already done more than most, and her ongoing success will continue
to contribute to lesbian visibility.
But
now that Ellen’s back on top of the entertainment world, and
the word “gay” is no longer quite so repugnant to mainstream
America, perhaps Ellen will begin to feel more comfortable about
her status as a gay icon.
January
2005 Update: Ellen and Alex have broken
up, and Ellen is now dating Portia
de Rossi.
Page
1 / 2 / 3 - Home
|
