Every time Ellen taught us it was OK to be different

Ellen DeGeneres celebrated her 61st birthday earlier this year. She’s a thoroughly unique comedian and individual, and for decades she’s relentlessly championed and encouraged the unconventional, the unique and the different. In honor of that, let’s take a look at all the times Ellen taught us it was OK to be different...especially if you’re wearing cool sunglasses

Ellen has racked up a ton of People’s Choice Awards, but in 2015 she won a Teen Choice award as well and gave an inspiring speech about the value of being different:

“It feels good to be chosen, but there was a time in my life that I was not chosen. I was the opposite of chosen because I was different. And I think I want to make sure that everyone knows that what makes you different right now makes you stand out later in life. So you should be proud of being different.” 

And you can trust her, because who could lie while holding a giant surfboard?

Ellen has appeared on plenty of magazine covers over the years, but the first and most significant was when she graced the front of Time Magazine for her coming out story, titled simply “Yep, I’m Gay.” The coordinated coming out story, complete with magazine feature, may seem familiar and standard today, but in 1997 it was truly shocking, with some readers even threatening to cancel their subscriptions. But others struggling with their own journey suddenly had a role model, and an example of someone, as Ellen put it, “living their truth.”

Though Ellen has described her Louisiana upbringing as conservative, her mom, Betty, has not only embraced her daughter’s lifestyle, but she’s also become an activist. Her efforts and advocacy were so impressive that PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Gays and Lesbians) created the Betty DeGeneres Advocate Award in 2011. 

Meditation may have a reputation as a weird, hippie pursuit, but Ellen’s a strong advocate for “the benefits that you can achieve from sitting still and going within.” She’s been active for David Lynch’s foundation which is devoted to bringing transcendental meditation to at-risk populations. Don’t feel self-conscious next time you ommm!

When President Trump famously screened “Finding Dory” at the White House, one day after enacting the controversial Muslim travel ban, Ellen used Dory’s journey as an opportunity to critique the new policy. She discussed how a large wall has almost no effect on keeping Dory from her family and that other animals come to her aid “even though they’re completely different colors. Because that’s what you do when you see someone in need — you help them.”

Just after Ellen herself came out as a lesbian, her sitcom character, Ellen Morgan, also came out. There had been gay characters on television before but never the lead and never with a whole episode devoted to discovering their sexuality. Ellen comes out with the help of her therapist, played by Oprah, one of celebrities galore — Laura Dern, Demi Moore, k.d. Lang, Billy Bob Thornton — and an entire fantasy sequence about a lesbian supermarket. The episode was a huge ratings success, but after a backlash and Disney pulling back its promotion, the sitcom was canceled a year later.

In 2001, two months after the attack on the Twin Towers, Ellen hosted a somber edition of the Emmy Awards. She nailed the show’s difficult tone and landed the line of the night : "What would bug the Taliban more than seeing a gay woman in a suit surrounded by Jews?" It took guts and confidence to embrace that hosting gig — especially after two other hosts canceled and the show was delayed seven weeks. She proudly asserted herself and her identity, her very presence an implicit rebuke to the politics of hate in any form.

Since she was such a big fan of the show, Ellen seemed like a perfect fit to replace Paula Abdul on the panel of judges on "American Idol." But she quickly discovered that the spirit of the show ran counter to her kindhearted nature. "American Idol" loves to mock bad singers and ridicule weirdos — the kind of enthusiastic people that Ellen celebrates on her own show. As she put it, “I thought I’m gonna represent those people at home that have opinions. But then I just thought, I can’t break this person’s heart. Let somebody else do that.” 

Marvin Pearson was an ordinary high school football player in Pennsylvania, with one small difference: He’d been blind and deaf since age 10. Nevertheless, thanks to a cochlear implant and a boundless spirit, he played varsity and even scored a touchdown. Ellen had him on to celebrate his story and even flew him to New Orleans to meet his hero, Drew Brees.

Ellen had Logan and Laila Ireland on the show in 2017, a transgender couple that both serve in the military. Though transgender service personnel weren’t allowed to openly serve at the time that each transitioned, they each received support from their colleagues and higher-ups. The couple’s appearance on Ellen happened after President Trump began talking about the “costs” of having trans people in the military. It’s one thing to read about that policy debate, but Ellen put human, patriotic faces on the issue.

In her first-ever movie role, Ellen played the diving coach in “Coneheads,” advising star diver Connie Conehead at the big meet. Whether your head is round, misshapen or an aerodynamic cone, coach Ellen treats everyone the same. Everyone is welcome in the pool, no matter if they’re from Earth or Remulak...er, France.

In 2016, Ellen received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is America’s highest civilian honor. President Obama got somewhat choked up talking about her courage and how Ellen had “risked her career” to make America challenge its assumptions and “push the country in the direction of justice.”

Ellen begins all her shows by dancing, and dancing well, but part of the appeal is that she doesn’t seem like someone who would be good. It’s like the cliche, “dance like nobody’s watching,” but Ellen dances like that exactly when everyone is watching, often with the First Lady. She’s taken it a step further and invites audience members to dance before the show, with amazing results. There’s no one way to dance on Ellen’s show, but there’s definitely no wrong way.

Anyone can dance on Ellen’s show, no matter how coordinated they are. And anyone can sing, even if you are an 8-year-old British girl dressed as a ballerina princess with your hype cousin. This was the first of many appearances for them, proving it doesn’t matter how little you are or how tremendous your American accent is – you can still be a TV star/interviewer/miniature pop star.

Ellen published her first book of essays in 1996, and since then her books have become less overtly comedic and more philosophical. Like this passage from 2004’s "The Funny Thing Is": “There are a lot of self-righteous people out there. And if you try to adjust your life to please them — by the way you dress, your sexuality, or the ass faces you like to make — you are just going to go crazy and risk being as unhappy as these self-righteous kooks are.”

When Ellen played Dory, the absent-minded bluefish in "Finding Nemo," it was a lesson for all kids — or fish — that being a good friend is more important than being just like the others in your school. Dory’s also a lesson in fortitude. When the going gets tough, when you don’t know what to do, just keep swimming.

Ellen is clearly a book lover, and her most recent book is called "Seriously I’m Kidding." It contains even more of her inclusive, be-yourself encouragement: “We're all different people and we're allowed to be different from one another. If someone ever says you're weird, say thank you. And then curtsy. No, don't curtsy. That might be too weird. Bow. And tip your imaginary hate. That'll show them.” Of course, she clarifies later that you should embrace who you are “unless you’re a serial killer.”

Ellen had a string of awkward, unconvincing boyfriends on her sitcom, but now her current and one-and-only “boyfriend” is a child named Tayt Andersen. He’s a kid who was born with half a heart and began appearing on the show at age 7. Tayt made a series of visits, and the show helped pick up his medical expenses. Eventually he got his life-changing heart transplant — and Ellen gave his mom a new car.

Not only one of the first prominent celebrity lesbians, but Ellen is also one of the most prominent celebrity vegans. The Humane Society is always one of her preferred charities, she rescues pets, and she has an entire section of her show’s website devoted to vegan recipes and options. But omnivores shouldn’t feel too pressured — she also encourages people to take baby steps toward that diet, by embracing “meatless Mondays.”

Everyone knows Ellen’s famous Oscar selfie, once the world’s most retweeted image. But did you know that Samsung donated one dollar to charity for every retweet, meaning kids hospitalized with cancer and life-threatening diseases got a multimillion dollar donation.