Why is ellen degeneres important

Actually, it seems as if our hero quite enjoys standing up for her own self in the face of haters by being shady — and to be honest, she does it with class. She constantly introduces new gimmicks, surprises, and ridiculous games to keep the show cool, fresh and exciting. Although she received her fame for her well-renowned talk show, Ellen has been involved in a wide range of aspects of the television, film, production and comedy industries.

Known originally for being a comedian, Ellen is very well known for her charming sense of humor. Ellen was somehow born to extravagant and cutely ridiculous, and for this receives a lot of adoration from her fans. The media had field times with such a controversial announcement and the attention she received sent her into a depressive spiral. Something anyone, anywhere can do. On top of all these, most importantly, in she was awarded the highest honor a civilian can receive: the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Displaying the self-assurance that comes from a string of successful career moves, DeGeneres explained to Nicholas Fonseca of Entertainment Weekly how she feels about her latest venture: "I've never been so passionate about something. I will probably do this for the rest of my career.

DeGeneres was born outside New Orleans and spent most of her childhood there, living with her parents and her older brother, Vance. As a child, DeGeneres spent much of her free time exploring the city. All over the campus [of Newcomb College]. All over uptown. You know, people can grow up in New Orleans without realizing how unique a city it is. I remember thinking that it was a really neat place. As quoted in the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, she recalled using comedy to help her mother through the painful period after the divorce: "My mother was going through some really hard times and I could see when she was really getting down, and I would start to make fun of her dancing," DeGeneres remembered.

And she'd laugh so hard she'd start to cry, and then I'd make fun of that. So I would totally bring her from where I'd seen her start going into depression to all the way out of it.

It's not my job to get into an argument with somebody about religion or politics or sexuality or anything. It is my job to make people laugh. After DeGeneres graduated from high school in , she moved back to New Orleans, holding down a series of jobs, none of which suited her personality. She worked for a time in a law firm but felt stifled by the dress code. She held a number of restaurant jobs, from hostess to bartender to oyster shucker. She also worked at a retail clothing store and as a house painter.

Ultimately she realized that she did not like following other people's rules, and she would have to make a career for herself that allowed for independence. At the age of twenty-three, she started to flesh out a comedy routine, first performing just for friends and then at local coffeehouses and comedy clubs. Soon she became the master of ceremonies, or emcee, at a New Orleans comedy club.

In she entered a national talent contest held by the cable network Showtime, sending in a videotape of her stand-up act. When DeGeneres won the contest, earning the title of "Funniest Person in America," she went immediately from local New Orleans comic to nationally recognized up-and-coming comedian.

Over the next several years, she traveled around the country performing stand-up comedy, and she appeared on several HBO specials. Most comedians who appeared on the Tonight Show performed their stand-up routine and then returned backstage, never being invited to sit on the couch and have an on-camera chat with Carson. The invitation to sit down with Carson paid tribute to a comedian's talent and stature.

A female comedian had never been asked to sit on the couch after a first-time performance on the show. She had arrived. About the same time, she branched out to begin acting in television series.

She appeared in a couple of short-lived sitcoms, Open House and Laurie Hill, before earning her own show. It focused on the lives of Ellen and her friends, finding humor in the mundane, everyday events of the characters' lives. By the beginning of the second season, the show had undergone major changes, including its title, which became Ellen.

The reviews and the ratings steadily improved, as more and more viewers connected with DeGeneres's oddball humor and appealing, average-gal persona.

DeGeneres earned numerous nominations for Emmy Awards, and in she won the prestigious Peabody Award for her work on the show. The consequential irony of humanizing the gay community for Ellen is that she could not be human — fallible and flawed — herself.

As she commented in her interview with "TODAY" show host Savannah Guthrie this week, sexism influences this likability bind, as it does for all women. There is no room for error. And visibility as a tactic for acceptance, for any marginalized community, is no longer enough. The visibility that Ellen, among countless others, helped usher in is no longer the endgame.

Entering the third decade of the 21st century, ours is a culture where a character based on kindness and likeness rings hollow like T. But what is surprising is how Ellen has acted behind the scenes during this time of cultural change.

This is odd, considering that Ellen not only has a following in the millions across several social media channels, she also has own own digital publishing platform, EllenTube. So, it destroyed me, honestly. A symbol of courage, she is now associated as much with hypocrisy as bravery.