Ellen DeGeneres is a star of The Ellen Show.
Ellen DeGeneres . DeGeneres starred in the popular sitcom Ellen from 1994 to 1998 and has hosted her syndicated TV talk show , The Ellen DeGeneres Show , since 2003 . She starred in two television sitcoms , Ellen from 1994 to 1998 , and The Ellen Show from 2001 to 2002 . The Ellen Show is a television sitcom created by and starring Ellen DeGeneres that was broadcast during the 2001 -- 02 season on CBS . It was DeGeneres 's second attempt at a sitcom , following Ellen on ABC ( 1994 -- 98 ) , but it was unable to attract strong ratings and was quickly cancelled after 13 episodes , leaving 5 episodes unaired . After coming out as a lesbian on her first sitcom , DeGeneres 's character on The Ellen Show , Ellen Richmond , was also a lesbian , although the show did not focus as heavily on the character 's sexuality as did the final season of her first sitcom .