In the year 1997 when the history of television took a new turn, not many people could have foreseen the storm of events. Laura Dern has just returned to that landmark cultural event, and she remembers the furor that ensued after the groundbreaking coming out episode of the sitcom, Ellen. What is recalled by many now as a bold and historic step towards LGBTQ+ representation had a weight that was much more significant than the audience can tell now.
In April 1997, the character Ellen Morgan, who is played by Ellen DeGeneres, came out as gay in an episode of a prime-time network program that would change the American television scene forever. Laura Dern played the role of Susan who tenderly assists Ellen Morgan in realizing her identity and accepting it. The episode was raved by its fans at the time as a bold move. It was also the first time when a lead character on a major television show in the U.S. identified as queer. To the audience which required such representation, it was revolutionary.
Yet, according to Dern, who recently wrote about the Las Culturistas podcast, the cultural environment of the late 1990s was not as ready as some might have wished it to be. Going back to the mood in the build-up to the airing of the episode, she stated that there was optimism in the cast and crew. This you are going to do, and thank God people will open their eyes and love their own and their neighbors and see them, everything will grow round, culture will not be left behind, and it will be a beautiful party, you see, said she.
History would decide that hope was brutally suppressed.
Rather than a national celebration of the events, the episode sparked controversy nationwide. Dern remembered that the situation had gotten out of the control to something graver than criticism in the days after the broadcast. Bomb threats were issued on the production and there was heightened security. The book that was supposed to be a touching, sincere depiction of self-discovery turned out to be the lightning rod in the cultural argument of LGBTQ+ visibility happening in America.
The pressure on the network television during the 1990s was immense because of the advertisers and sponsors most of whom were cautious of controversy. After the episode, a number of sponsors pulled out. Financial support, on which any network series depends, started to dry up. The strife did not lie in backroom boardrooms. The response of the population consisted of protests, hot phone calls, and an increase in the attention of conservative organizations. Oprah Winfrey and Demi Moore, who were guest stars in the episode, had been patrons of the show, and were allegedly in need of major security within the months after.
The retaliation seemed to the deepest sobering to Dern, who had entered the role with a feeling of artistic intent. She characterized the culture pushback in such strong language: The world said, No, no, no. She lost her show. It was, you know, it took years.” Her words only reflect the suddenness of the response but not the long-term impacts. Despite the acclaimed response and even awards, ratings later decreased and the series was canceled after a year.
In retrospect, almost twenty five years later, one can consider the episode as the milestone of representation triumph. However, in 1997, the mainstream media did not widespread accept the LGBTQ+ identities. Cable networks had just started to experiment with the idea that the stories can be inclusive and it would not be until 2015 when same-sex marriage would be legalized nationwide in the United States. Ellen in the coming-out episode was released into a social atmosphere in which the most fundamental issues of visibility and equality were still at stake.
The strength of Dern recollection lies more so in her being honest to accept the way naivety optimism crashed into reality. It is humanly touching to hold on to the belief that a heroic deed will be rewarded with sympathy, and it is instead countered with opposition. A lot of cultural changes take this trend. Change does not mostly occur without tension. When artists and social leaders do not conform to the norms, they tend to take the shock of that deviation and then the society slowly adjusts to it.
The two-part episode takes place as Ellen Morgan turns her back on Susan when she first approaches her but eventually has to uncover the truth about herself. That plot reflected a general American debate on identity, fear, and self-acceptance. The episode provided confirmation to innumerable viewers who found themselves on screen, to whom they could see themselves being reflected on screen. It proved uncomfortable to other people who had long-held beliefs. The conflict between the two views is one of the reasons why the backlash was so intense.
The cultural influence of the episode has become more evident with time passing. It led to the introduction of more representative characters and stories on television. The 2000s and later shows had LGBTQ+ leads that were much less controversial, which implies that the process of a resistance in the late 1990s did not halt the development, but, in a way, fast-tracked it. The boldness of the involved people opened room to the storytellers of the future.
Another personal cost that usually goes along with some public milestones is also brought out in the reflection by Dern. History can be full of triumphs of course, but people living in it are literally at risk. Threats to security, career failures and criticism are not imaginary. They are lived experiences. When discussing the bomb threats and sponsor losses, Dern makes audiences remember that progress can have a very real price.
