Before Ellen, Ellen DeGeneres was a successful stand-up comedian. She advocated for LGBTQ rights after coming out as gay in 1997. The Ellen DeGeneres Show has won multiple awards since 2003, and she married Portia de Rossi in 2008.
DeGeneres was born January 26, 1958, in Metairie, Louisiana, to an insurance salesman and a working mother who divorced when she was a teenager. DeGeneres wanted to be a veterinarian as a child, but she was “not book smart.” She waited tables, sold vacuum cleaners, painted houses, and was a legal secretary.
Vance, DeGeneres’s older brother, was the family’s comedian. DeGeneres utilized comedy to overcome crowd nervousness during a public speaking event. She was popular and offered stand-up comedy. Her mother’s moral and financial support helped her perform in 1981.
DeGeneres performed at a cafe at 23. The Tonight Show featuring Johnny Carson dispatched a booking agent to see her perform at the Hollywood Improv in 1986 after Jay Leno recommended her. DeGeneres went on The Tonight Show and became the first female comic to sit on Johnny Carson’s “sofa” on her first visit.
DeGeneres then appeared regularly on talk shows such The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Later with Greg Kinnear, Larry King Live, and Good Morning, America. ABC’s PrimeTime Live detailed her.
Ellen, her prime-time sitcom, made DeGeneres a star thanks to her wit. These Friends of Mine was renamed in 1994. After that, DeGeneres took center stage.
In April 1997, DeGeneres’ character became the first sitcom protagonist to publicly admit her homosexuality, drawing controversy. Birmingham, Alabama’s ABC affiliate didn’t carry the historic episode. Some show sponsors, like Daimler Chrysler, pulled ads out of fear of controversy.
After her announcement, several episodes contained LGBT undertones, and DeGeneres and ABC officials were criticized throughout the season. Gay-friendly advocates, including DeGeneres’s mother Betty, who appeared on many talk shows to support her daughter, applauded the performance. Ellen was discontinued in 1998 despite a supportive audience, an Emmy for the coming-out episode, and the show’s trailblazing status.
DeGeneres later detailed the challenges she had coming out, from Ellen officials advising her against it to the vitriol she received for sharing her personal life. In 2018, on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, she recalled the humiliation of late-night talk show jokes and rejected the idea that she was an LGBTQ “leader” since she didn’t want to maintain the secret.
Ellen, Ellen DeGeneres’ 2003 daytime talk program, was a hit. The daytime discussion show has earned 64 Daytime Emmys since its debut.
DeGeneres confirmed her show’s cancellation in May 2021.
Diana, Princess of Wales, commonly known as Princess Diana, original name Diana Frances Spencer, (born July 1, 1961, Sandringham, Norfolk, England—died August 31, 1997, Paris, France), former consort (1981–96) of Charles, prince of Wales (later Charles III); mother of Prince William (born 1982); and one of the most famous people of her time.
In 1980, she rekindled her royal family acquaintance with Charles. Their engagement was announced on February 24, 1981, and her beauty and shyness—which earned her the nickname “Shy Di”—made her a media and popular sensation. On July 29, 1981, hundreds of millions witnessed the pair marry at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Prince Henry (“Harry”) Charles Albert David was born on September 15, 1984, and Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales on June 21, 1982.
“Princess Di” quickly became a symbol of grace and luxury. She was a fashion innovator and a celebrity who supported several charities. However, the princess and prince’s marriage was deteriorating. Diana suffered from severe postnatal depression, low self-esteem, eating disorders, and the stress of being continuously chased by the paparazzi and official media royal-watchers. In 1992, the couple divorced after mutual recriminations, tell-all biographies, and infidelity admissions. Diana spoke up in Andrew Morton’s 1992 book Diana: Her True Story and a 1995 televised appearance. On August 28, 1996, the couple divorced after lengthy talks that left Diana with a hefty cash settlement but without the title Her Royal Highness.
Diana’s unparalleled fame in Britain and worldwide lasted after her divorce. The photographers were obtrusive, but she used her popularity to promote her philanthropic activities. Diana, Dodi Fayed, and Henri Paul were killed in a 1997 tunnel accident in Paris while trying to escape journalists.
