For about three decades Ellen DeGeneres has been entertaining us with her quirky personality. In her career so far, she has been a comedian, an actress and a talk show host. Her current show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, is a household name and has successfully attracted viewers from all over the globe. So it didn’t quite come as a surprise when Ellen received the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the U.S., from President Barack Obama.
Every year the president of the United States of America honours those who have made “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavours” with the Medal of Freedom. Ellen shared the award with Tom Hanks, Bruce Springensteen, Michael Jordan and many others. President Obama claims that he choked up while presenting her the award. He applauded Ellen for having the courage to come out in 1997 when Hollywood wasn’t very keen on the LGBT community.
Ellen came out in The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1997. After her open acceptance of being a lesbian, she was attacked in the media. But she continued to struggle inspite of being not getting any work for three years. Finding Nemo, which was released in 2003, was her life saviour. Currently, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which she hosts attracts 15 million viewers worldwide. Ellen has won 17 People’s Choice Award and 28 Emmys.
Ellen got emotional as her achievements were announced during the ceremony. She got teary eyed as the President bestowed the medal.
You can watch the video of Ellen receiving the medal here!
Watch Obama’s speech here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7S_k3Pvy4Q
