Ellen Degeneres has revealed Sir Elton John’s reaction when the comedian came out as gay in the 90s. The popular presenter came out in a special episode, titled Coming Out, in her sitcom in 1997. Now, speaking to Dax Shepard on his Armchair Expert podcast, the talk show host spoke about how she didn’t receive the sort of support from the gay community she thought she would, signalling out the Rocket Man in particular.
She said: ‘Even Elton John said, “Shut up already. We know you’re gay. Be funny”. I had never met him and I thought, “What kind of support is that from a gay person?” But everybody assumed I was just non-stop talking about. It hurt my feelings.’ Ellen – who’s been married to Australian actress Portia de Rossi since 2008 – said ABC had ‘finally’ let her come out and it was a hugely celebrated success. However she said that the response from the gay community surprised her, and the backlash left her depressed – especially when the show was cancelled not long after and she was ‘looked at as a failure in the business’.
Now, of course, the situation couldn’t be further from the truth as Ellen now hosts the wildly popular The Ellen Show and has been a massive advocate for equality and gay rights.