She starred in two television sitcoms, Ellen from 1994 to 1998, and The Ellen Show from 2001 to 2002. During the fourth season of Ellen in 1997, she came out as a lesbian in an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. 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.
The coming-out episode, titled "The Puppy Episode", was one of the highest-rated episodes of the show. The series returned for a fifth season but experienced falling ratings due to ABC's cutting back on promoting the show.[citation needed] It was believed that The Walt Disney Company, ABC's parent owner, had become uncomfortable with the subject matter depicted on the show now that DeGeneres' character was openly gay.[citation needed] In May 1998, Ellen was canceled.
The disclosure of her sexual orientation sparked intense interest by American tabloids.[72] The contentiousness of the media coverage stunted DeGeneres' professional career and left her "mired in depression".
DeGeneres returned to television in 2001 with a new CBS sitcom, The Ellen Show, which was cancelled after 13 episodes.
In September 2003, DeGeneres launched a daytime television talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
It was nominated for 11 Daytime Emmy Awards in its first season, winning four, including Best Talk Show.
