Ellen Degeneres Research Paper

One day I woke up to hear the insidious words “grandma’s cancer has come back” out of my mom’s mouth. No matter what my grandma is going though she always stays strong. You can see her stumbling to walk, but she will continue. Whatever situation I am in my grandma gives me the best advice and can always put a smile on my face. Someone that is influential is someone that can impact another. Another influential person is Ellen Degeneres. From doing stand-up comedy in 1981, and starting her own talk show in 2003, she has a propensity to help in many different ways. Ellen’s use of her celebrity status in a positive and helpful fashion has made her an influential person.
Overall, everyone probably knows Ellen DeGeneres from her talk show and many

parts in well known movies. Her coming out as publicly gay has changed many people's lives forever. As in one of her books she writes, “I thought, what’s the worst that can happen? I can lose my career. I did. I lost my career. The show was canceled after six years without even telling me. I read it in the paper. The phone didn’t ring for three years. I had no offers. Nobody wanted to touch me at all, and yet I was getting letters from kids that almost committed suicide, but didn’t because of what I did” (Goalcast). This shows, her being brave and telling the world the truth that she is gay changed the lives of so many young people in a positive way. She has saved lives. Degeneres made such a huge impact on people, which made them feel more comfortable coming out and making it okay to do so. “Ellen explained throughout her three books that there is nothing to be ashamed of being gay, and just being yourself. She has stressed the fact that it's your life, do what you want to do with it, don't let the society hide your true identity. Many people who may have hidden their sexuality could of came out due to her positive attitude about herself and life. Not only homosexual people, but she has also influenced heterosexuals (and everybody else) by showing them to not let society's labels they may have upon you, ruin your day. Ellen has told people to not worry, just to be happy, to be yourself, and live your life to its fullest, within the confines of the legal system” (Fesser). Her book lets the readers know it’s alright to be yourself. DeGeneres is eccentric in her own way, and she is letting other people know it fine to be that way.
As well as influencing mundane people she has also changed President Obama’s life. At the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony president Obama made a speech, while giving Degeneres her Presidential Medal of Freedom award. "’Ellen has shown us that a single individual can make the world a more fun, more open, more loving place,’ said President Obama at the ceremony. ‘She reminds us to be kind to one another’" (Bried). Moreover, this is something that has become a kind of catch phrase at the end of each of her talk shows. Later in his speech, President Obama cracks a joke about what Ellen said one time. “Mr Obama then used one of the comedian's jokes to cover for the fact he was getting emotional during the ceremony. ‘But it's like Ellen says, 'we all want a tortilla chip that can support the weight of guacamole'. Which really makes no sense to me,’ he said. ‘But I thought I would break the mood, because I was getting choked up’" (“Barack Obama chokes up while presenting Ellen DeGeneres with Presidential Medal of Freedom”). That comment made many laugh. Her talk shows brings laughter into this world. Humor influences people to feel joy and drown out their pain.
As can be seen, DeGeneres has also helped hundred of people and charities with money.

That money has helped them better their life. “Ellen DeGeneres loves doing random acts of kindness on The Ellen Show, like when she invited the entire senior class of Summit Academy Charter School of Brooklyn, N.Y., to the show and surprised them with a $25,000 gift for the school and a four-year scholarship for to a New York state college for each student — both of which were furnished by Walmart — to make sure they were all able to pursue higher education. ‘These kids have overcome all kinds of things,’ DeGeneres told her audience,’and they go to school every single day, and they work hard every single day, and all they want to do is go to college, and they deserve that’” (Clarendon). Therefore, DeGeneres is pushing the students to do great things in the future. She is letting people know working hard pays off. “Ellen supports people and families who are facing difficult times or those she feels need to be recognized for their good deeds and hard work for their communities. Some recent examples include a $10,000 contribution for the wedding of a breast-cancer survivor who relied on The Ellen Show to lift her spirits during chemotherapy treatment and surgery recovery” (Bried). Once again, DeGeneres used her financial means to positively impact and influence the lives of others in

need.
In the final analysis, Degeneres has changed people by telling them it’s okay to be who they are, making people laugh and giving to others. Degeneres has used her celebrity status in a positive and benevolent way and this has made her an influential person. Listening to her words, watching her good works in action on her talk show reminds us all to use positivity and truth as a template for how to help and influence everyone around us.