Laura Dern is looking back on what she calls one of the most meaningful moments of her career, opening up about her experience supporting Ellen DeGeneres during a groundbreaking chapter in television history.
Speaking on Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers’ Las Culturistas podcast, Dern reflected on the cultural weight of appearing in the 1997 two-part episode of the sitcom Ellen in which DeGeneres’ character came out as a sexual orientation, marking the first time a lead character did so on television.
Discussing the representation, Dern said real change often only happens when someone is willing to go first, even before society is ready.
She explained that culture eventually catches up to storytelling, but only because someone takes that initial step.
Nearly 30 years later, Dern said she continues to meet people who tell her the episode helped them understand themselves or find the courage to come out.
At the same time, she was honest about the personal cost of being part of that moment.
“I had the honour and privilege of being part of Ellen DeGeneres’ coming-out episode called The Puppy Episode, and it was a massive moment,” Dern said.
She noted that, in hindsight, people often assume it was instantly celebrated, but the reality was far more complicated and painful.
When the episode aired in April 1997, Dern said the expectation was that it would lead to empathy and acceptance. She recalled the assumption that audiences would open their hearts, embrace their loved ones and allow culture to evolve naturally.
Instead, the reaction was intense and hostile.
That backlash affected everyone involved, including DeGeneres and other guest stars.
Dern revealed that those connected to the episode faced years of heightened security, along with bomb threats and the loss of sponsors and advertisers during what she described as a chaotic period.
“The world went, ‘No, no, no,’” she said, adding that DeGeneres ultimately lost her show and that it took years for things to shift.
Despite that, Dern believes the long-term impact proves why taking risks in storytelling matters.
She pointed to her strong queer fanbase, recalling being honoured at the 2020 Independent Spirit Awards when she was celebrated her as an icon.
She said moments like that show just how far culture has come.
Dern remembered holding DeGeneres’ hand as she spoke the words out loud for the first time on screen, calling it “one of the most incredible experiences of my life”.
Although Dern said she never hesitated to take part in the episode, she acknowledged that both she and DeGeneres were professionally impacted afterwards.
Still, she said there has been “no greater gift” than being there in that moment, supporting DeGeneres through an emotional and historic scene that would go on to shape television and representation for generations.
More recently, DeGeneres has marked personal milestones with her wife, Portia de Rossi.
The couple, who married in 2008 and renewed their vows in 2023, regularly share tributes to one another online.
DeGeneres has described her wife as “the greatest gift,” a reflection of the life she has built years after that pivotal episode first aired.
For Dern, the experience remains a powerful reminder of why representation matters, even when the cost feels overwhelming in the moment.
She believes culture is shaped precisely by those brave enough to move forward before the rest of the world is ready.
