Ellen Degeneres ended her show after 19 years. This brings to light many questions- Was she forced to end the show? What kind of legacy is she leaving behind? What kind if person is Ellen behind the camera?
Like many comedians, Ellen used humour as a coping mechanism to get through a tough life. At 13 years old, she would already be making jokes for her mother to not feel her pain after being divorced. And later, what her mother didn’t know is that Ellen at 15 years old would be hiding her own nightmare! The nightmare of being abused by her stepfather. This was not the only thing she had to hide cause when her family discovered she was gay, she got rejected by her own family. And this forced her to live in a lie, never telling anyone her true identity. As time passed by, kicked out of her own house, she lived a humble life to sustain herself. One day, while thinking about life in her empty base apartment, Ellen came up with a comedy piece that would soon make history. This comedy piece made her the first ever female comic that Johnny Carson ever invited to sit beside him. It was her big break! Ellen even starred in a sitcom! All of this felt like a reward after all she has been put through and so with everything going well, Ellen decided it was time to reveal her true self. Back then, being gay was not okay for many people in America and therefore after Ellen came out as gay, people shunned her. Advertisers pulled out and her career greatly suffered. To Ellen, this was the second time she was not accepted for being who she is. Years went by, her career stagnated and her life was at it’s lowest point when suddenly she was given a second chance – The Ellen Degeneres Show. She became one of the most friendly faces on American TV. America progressed and accepted her. Infact, something that used to be what she was judged for became one of her greatest assets! However, she had to fall low again when employees from her show called her out for toxic working environment. Truth is, we will never know what really happened inside a studio. But despite all of it, if there is one life lesson that we can learn from Ellen, it is that: No matter who you are, life will always be full of highs and lows. And no matter how long you are stuck in the low, your high will come.
