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STAR SAYS COMING OUT WAS THE HARDEST THING SHE EVER DID
Ellen Degeneres, 60, came out as a lesbian over two decades ago and has recently revealed the admission left her ‘depressed’ after people made fun of her, including Elton John.
‘People were making fun of me. I was really depressed,’ Ellen told Dax Shepard on his Armchair Expert podcast.
After coming out, Ellen’s popular ABC sitcom Ellen was cancelled and she admitted she felt like a failure in the business.
‘No-one would touch me. I had no agent, I had no possibility of a job, I had nothing.’
Worse still, her other gay counterparts seemed to offer little support. She said even Elton John seemed to trivialise her declaration after she appeared on several shows, including Oprah and a primetime slot with interviewer Diane Sawyer, to discuss her sexuality.
‘Even Elton John said: “Shut up already. We know you’re gay. Be funny.” I had never met him and I thought: “What kind of support is that from a gay person?” But everybody assumed I was just nonstop talking about it. It hurt my feelings.’
Last year, Ellen fought back the tears as she spoke about coming out, saying it was ‘the hardest thing she had ever done’.
Ellen is currently married to actress Portia de Rossi, and has been previously linked to Anne Heche and Alexandra Hedison.