WORLD OF WONDER: THE REAL ELLEN STORY (TV)
Summary
A documentary about comedian and actress Ellen DeGeneres’s decision to reveal herself as a lesbian and simultaneously have her character on the sitcom “Ellen” come out as well, and the production and aftermath of the episode in which this occurred.
DeGeneres decided to come out in March 1996 after spending time in therapy, and also planned to have her character, the lead in the sitcom “Ellen,” come out simultaneously. In June 1996 she has a party with her writers and planned the next season of “Ellen,” and they were surprised and excited to learn of her plans. They recount that “Ellen” was a difficult show to write for due to the lack of identifying features for the main character, but the revelation of her coming out provided a rare opportunity for them to handle something of great import. In the summer of 1996, DeGeneres meets with executives from Disney, owners of ABC, the network that aired “Ellen,” in conditions of extreme secrecy. The negotiations prove to be quite emotional for DeGeneres, who is worried that there may be hostile reactions to the revelation of her homosexuality. Michael Eisner, then-CEO of Disney, sets strict guidelines as to the nature of the coming-out episode, and expresses concern that the show would then turn into “a show about lesbianism.” By August 1996 the episode in question is codenamed “The Puppy Episode” in order to allay scrutiny.
However, information is leaked and the September 13th, 1996 issue of The Hollywood Reporter publishes an article announcing that DeGeneres’s character will be coming out as a lesbian. This attracts a great deal of media attention which DeGeneres does her best to avoid, and between September 1996 and March 1997 Disney and ABC refuse to give any statement to the media on the matter, as their public relations policies refuse to allow them to comment on rumor or speculation. The situation is complicated when, also beginning in September, Christian evangelists launch a campaign against Disney and ABC for supposedly supporting a homosexual agenda, including a large number of letters, some quite vitriolic. DeGeneres’s family and staff become concerned for her safety in the wake of the intense opposition, but “Ellen” begins airing its new season on September 18th, 1996 without any further comment from ABC. In the episodes leading up to the “Puppy Episode,” the writers put hints in the scripts indicating her lesbianism, hoping to set up the season as an “arc” culminating in her coming out. Her plans to come out are hampered by a number of factors, including ABC’s lack of formal approval and Disney’s concern about its financial security should the episode go forward. DeGeneres is personally affected by the tumult surrounding the episode and is frightened of what might happen, but is determined nonetheless.
In the autumn of 1996, gay activist groups air their opinions on the matter online. They urge ABC to come to a decision about the episode, and send in positive and hopeful messages discussing its significance to the LGBT community. On September 24th, 1996, DeGeneres embarks on a tour to promote her new comedy CD “Taste This.” This gives her an opportunity to address the media controversy surrounding the coming-out episode, including appearances on late night talk shows. However DeGeneres decides to treat the subject humorously and does not give concrete answers as to the nature of the episode. Some criticize her for doing the episode merely as a publicity stunt, a suggestion that she balks at due to the significant risk to her professional career that coming out poses. In January 1997, ABC moves “Ellen’s” timeslot and considers putting the show on hiatus. Things come to a head during the taping of one episode featuring her character singing alongside several country music stars, and she changes a lyric of a song to say “I’m gay,” much to the studio audience’s excitement. However, ABC demands that this line be cut and they confiscate the film. DeGeneres herself predicted that this would happen, but simply wanted to say it to the audience as the first phase of her public coming-out.
By February 1997, DeGeneres and the “Ellen” writers begin to outline “The Puppy Episode.” The writers finally receive approval to air the episode, but are left with only a single week to write the script, forcing them to work fast. Precautions are taken to ensure the secrecy of the episode, including putting script materials in a safe and typing them on special paper resistant to photocopying. On February 14th, 1997, the first draft of the script is delivered to Disney, but they respond unfavorably, believing that it did not fully explore the consequences of the topic. The script is sent back and the writers spend another week completely rewriting it. The rewrite is submitted and is much better received, but still must be approved. During this time the casting process for the episode begins, and Oprah Winfrey calls the show’s casting director, Tammara Billik, asking to appear on the episode. DeGeneres recounts casting Laura Dern as a guest star on the episode owing to their real-life friendship. Dern arrives with the cast for a cold reading of the script on March 3rd, 1997, which the cast and crew remark went quite well. The next day, the draft script is nearly read on the radio by a local station, but Disney threatens to sue and they return the script.
On March 5th, 1997, ABC officially announces that DeGeneres’s character will be coming out. Taping for the “Puppy Episode” begins on March 8th, and director Gil Junger recalls the “smooth” shooting and the many big-name stars appearing on the episode. Extra security measures are taken to prevent unauthorized personnel from attending the tapings. The scene where DeGeneres’s character reveals that she is a homosexual proves to be the most difficult for her to rehearse, as she becomes intensely emotional about it. The cast and crew recount the reactions of the studio audience to that scene. During the taping there is a bomb threat and the studio has to be evacuated, casting a pall over the proceedings. Taping resumes on March 14th, and then-ABC employee Jill Lessard asks to be in a scene; Lessard is also a closeted lesbian and DeGeneres points out that this would out her on television as well. Unfortunately her scene is cut from the finished episode. DeGeneres also films and records an alternate version of the “Ellen” theme song with Melissa Etheridge explicitly discussing her coming-out, but this is also excised from the finished episode. Winfrey arrives on the 14th as well to film her scenes the episode, playing the part of a therapist. She is touched by the work the cast and crew have done, and even brings a cake congratulating DeGeneres for coming out.
Editing of “The Puppy Episode” begins, and on March 25th, 1997, DeGeneres meets actress Anne Heche at the annual Vanity Fair Oscar party. The two of them share an instant attraction and they go back to DeGeneres’s home together. Their romance progresses quickly and they move in together in April 1998, and DeGeneres credits her coming-out as the groundwork for her relationship with Heche. On April 6th, 1997, before the airing of “The Puppy Episode,” DeGeneres publicly comes out and appears on the cover of Time magazine, as well as in a special segment of “20/20.” During her interview she starts crying when she recalls being forced out of her house by her stepsisters due to her lesbianism. DeGeneres and Heche appear together in public in the weeks leading up to the airing of the episode, garnering even more media attention. Heche is frustrated when she is asked not to be seen with DeGeneres at certain points, such as at the premiere of her film “Volcano.” This is the first time DeGeneres is publicly affectionate with any of her girlfriends, and she finds the attention makes her extremely uncomfortable and causes a crisis of confidence for her. Both DeGeneres and Heche decide not to conceal themselves any longer and attend the White House correspondents’ dinner together on April 26th, 1997. Their presence is generally well-received, even by then-President Bill Clinton, but the next day the Washington Post puts out an article overreacting to them and calling them “over-affectionate” and inappropriate. Rumor and suspicion circulate, and to combat this the two of them appear on “Oprah” on April 30th, 1997, although this does not seem to function as they intended.
In the days leading up to the airing of “The Puppy Episode,” ABC rejects a Human Rights Campaign commercial depicting a woman being discriminated against, fired from her job for being a lesbian. They also reject an advertisement for a gay cruise line, and it becomes clear that the “gay content” of these advertisements is objectionable to them. The ABC affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama announces that it will not be running the episode, causing further controversy. The episode itself finally airs on April 30th, 1997, and attracts large crowds of enthusiastic viewers all across the country. DeGeneres and Heche attend a viewing party at the CAA along with a number of famous actors also in attendance. The episode attracts a total of 42 million viewers. In the summer of 1997, DeGeneres’s mother Betty becomes a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, as her appearance on “20/20” with her daughter causes her to be approached by a number of homosexuals and their parents and friends to talk about their stories. She starts appearing in public service announcements and hopes that she can help families to relate to their children regardless of their sexuality.
On July 23rd, 1997, ABC announces that it is renewing “Ellen” for a fifth season. DeGeneres wants to explore homosexual themes but is still afraid that the show could become “too gay.” The fifth season starts airing on September 24th, 1997, but does not garner nearly the same amount of ratings that “The Puppy Episode” did, and DeGeneres blames this on a lack of promotion from ABC owing to their continuing discomfort with the prospect of a sitcom with an openly gay main character. On March 8th, 1998, gay activist Chastity Bono is quoted as saying the show has become “too gay,” although she claims that her words were taken out of context. Nevertheless, DeGeneres is personally hurt by some of her remarks. On March 11th, 1998, the last episode of “Ellen’s” fifth season is shot. DeGeneres responds to comments that the show has become overly fixated on homosexual issues by pointing out the violence and hatred still at work in the country towards gays, and that her efforts are “not enough.” As the taping concludes, DeGeneres gives her cast and crew a personal and emotional farewell message, thanking them for staying with her despite the controversy surrounding the show. She and Heche remark that they are thankful that DeGeneres got to “do [her] art” and “change the world” despite the lack of promotion for the final season. On April 23rd, 1998, ABC cancels “Ellen.”
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 1999
- RUNNING TIME: 0:51:11
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:54305
- GENRE: Public affairs/documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: LGBT Collection; Public affairs/documentaries
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Lesli Klainberg … Producer
- Tiffany Flynn … Associate Producer
- Fenton Bailey … Director
- Randy Barbato … Director
- Jack Tarantino … Researcher
- Ellen DeGeneres … Interviewee
- Jonathan Stark … Interviewee
- Tracy Newman … Interviewee
- Dava Savel … Interviewee
- Mark Driscoll … Interviewee
- Dean Valentine … Interviewee
- Tammara Billik … Interviewee
- Vance DeGeneres … Interviewee
- Jill Lessard … Interviewee
- Michael Di Pasquale … Interviewee
- Lou Sheldon … Interviewee
- Chastity Bono … Interviewee
- Joan Garry … Interviewee
- Laura Dern … Interviewee
- Patrick Bristow … Interviewee
- Gil Junger … Interviewee
- Clea Lewis … Interviewee
- Karen Kawahara … Interviewee
- Lynn McCraken … Interviewee
- Melissa Etheridge … Interviewee
- Anne Heche … Interviewee
- Betty DeGeneres … Interviewee
- Diane Sawyer … Interviewee
- Elizabeth Birch … Interviewee
- Bruce Cohen … Interviewee
- Bill Clinton
- Michael Eisner
- Kevin Snow
- Oprah Winfrey