Ellen DeGeneres is an openly lesbian actress.
Ellen is an American television sitcom that aired on the ABC network from March 29 , 1994 , to July 22 , 1998 , consisting of 109 episodes . The title role is Ellen Morgan , played by stand-up comedian Ellen DeGeneres , a neurotic bookstore owner in her thirties . The series is notable for being one of the first with a main character to come out as gay , which DeGeneres ' character did in the 1997 episode `` The Puppy Episode '' , which aired shortly after DeGeneres publicly revealed that she was gay in real life . Ellen DeGeneres . Her character , Ellen Morgan , also came out to a therapist played by Winfrey , and the series went on to explore various LGBT issues , including the coming-out process .