Ellen DeGeneres's Netflix Special Takes on the Aftermath of Coming Out

In her first special in 15 years, DeGeneres addresses being shut out of Hollywood after coming out as a lesbian.

Tracy E. Gilchrist

Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.

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Tracy E. Gilchrist

December 04 2018 8:25 AM EST

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After a 15-year hiatus from stand-up comedy specials, Ellen DeGeneres is back with the must-see Netflix special Relatable. It's the first special since her benchmark post-coming out special Ellen DeGeneres: Here and Now, which aired on HBO in 2003 prior to the launch of her wildly popular daytime talk show.

The title of the special derives from DeGeneres's current status as a mega-celebrity. In a clip from the special, she explains that a friend questioned her return to stand-up, asking if she's still "relatable."

What's more, DeGeneres addresses being essentially blacklisted in Hollywood after she and her sitcom character Ellen Morgan came out concurrently in 1997.

"I lost my sitcom when I came out and it took three years for me to get back on television. There was this one station manager that said, 'No one's going to watch a lesbian during the day,'" DeGeneres says.

"Well, they weren't watching me at night. What time of day is good for a lesbian?" she adds.

Relatable drops on Netflix December 18. Watch the trailer below.