During the series finale, Ellen opened up about her path as a LGBTQ entertainer.
“20 years ago, when we were trying to sell the show, no one thought that this would work. Not because it was a different kind of show, but because I was different,” she said.
“When we started this show, I couldn’t say ‘gay’ on the show. I was not allowed to say ‘gay.’ I said it at home a lot. ‘What are we having for gay breakfast?’ We couldn’t say ‘gay.’ I couldn’t say ‘we,’ because that implied that I was with someone. I sure couldn’t say ‘wife,’ and that’s because it wasn’t legal for gay people to get married, and now I say ‘wife’ all the time,” she said, referring to Portia de Rossi, who was in the audience.
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“25 years ago, they canceled my sitcom because they didn’t want a lesbian to be in primetime once a week. I said, ‘Okay, then I’ll be on daytime every day. How about that?’” she joked.
At the end of the monologue, she asked DJ Stephen Boss aka tWitch to dance with her one last time, as they twirled to The Emotions’ “Best of My Love.”
