Ellen DeGeneres got her start doing standup comedy in New Orleans before going to Hollywood in 1986. In 1994 her successful television sitcom Ellen premiered on ABC, initially titled These Friends of Mine. In 1997 a special episode featured Ellen's character, Ellen Morgan, announcing "I'm gay." At the same time, DeGeneres came out publicly as being in love with her actor girlfriend, Anne Heche. Heche and Degeneres were a couple until their break-up in 2000.

Ellen restarted her stand-up career with concert tours and TV specials, had a key voice role in the animated feature Finding Nemo (2003), and began her successful run as a daytime talk show host with The Ellen DeGeneres Show.