How Ellen DeGeneres Coped With Being Bullied In Hollywood After Coming Out
Ellen DeGeneres might not have dealt with bullies as a child but after coming out as an adult in Hollywood, she says she faced cruelty she hadn’t known before. In the September issue of Good Housekeeping, the television host opened up about the aftermath of her coming out as gay 20 years ago. “The bullying I endured in Hollywood after I came out made up for the lack of it during my childhood,” she said. “I moved out of L.A., went into a severe depression, started seeing a therapist and had to go on antidepressants for the first time in my life,” she says. “It was scary and lonely. All I’d known for 30 years was work and all of a sudden, I had nothing. Plus, I was mad. It didn’t feel fair — I was the same person everyone had always known.”
DeGeneres came out publicly ahead of the airing of her then-show “Ellen’s, “The Puppy Episode” in April 1997, in which her character came out, too. To 40 million viewers, no less. A year after that episode aired, ABC canceled the show. “I lost my entire career and I lost everything for three years. I was so angry, I was just so angry … I came out, which was good for me, and ultimately it was the only thing I could do. And then I got punished for it.” She ultimately refocused her life and made a major comeback, with a hit talk show, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, an upcoming Netflix stand-up special and $77 million in the bank (in 2017 alone). “Eventually I started meditating, working out and writing again, and I slowly started to climb out of it. I can’t believe I came back from that point. I can’t believe where my life is now.” Now, DeGeneres doesn’t pay any attention to the critics and is focusing on being the best version of herself. “I don’t know what people are saying about me, and I don’t want to know, because I don’t care,” says DeGeneres. “My motto is, ‘I do my best. You can be with me or not.”
Ellen DeGeneres’s Bravery Was At The Forefront Of Changing What Gay Looked Like
Susan Z’s Conclusion:
As in all freedom movements that bring about change, the ones out on the front line carry the heaviest burden of paying the price for their bravery. In the 20 years of her coming out as gay, we can now turn on the TV or see in the movies many positive depictions of gay lives.
The Fool: Trust, faith and optimism. I feel this is Ellen’s hope for the changes she has seen in Hollywood that she helped bring about.
Six of Pentacles: Inverted (Upside Down)
Sharing of love and gifts. Pulled inverted shows how shocked, hurt and angry Ellen was as not being accepted by the same people who supposedly cared about her before she came out as gay. I feel she still smarts from the betrayal.
Five of Wands: Inverted
Arguments being fought both inward and outside. Since inverted, it shows that Ellen fought the good fight for what she believed in and in turn had the last laugh. As the old saying goes: “The best revenge is success.”
Susan Z Rich is an emotional addiction counselor, spiritual intuitive and holistic therapist. She counsels others to see life in a more positive way and teaches personal accountability for life choices. She is also the author of several children’s books and Soul Windows…Secrets From The Divine.