The Ellen Show slandered Ellen DeGeneres.
Ellen (TV series) . The title role is Ellen Morgan , played by stand-up comedian Ellen DeGeneres , a neurotic bookstore owner in her thirties . The series is notable for being one of the first with a main character to come out as gay , which DeGeneres ' character did in the 1997 episode `` The Puppy Episode '' , which aired shortly after DeGeneres publicly revealed that she was gay in real life . 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 . The Ellen Show is a television sitcom created by and starring Ellen DeGeneres that was broadcast during the 2001 -- 02 season on CBS . 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 .