The Puppy Episode

"The Puppy Episode"
Ellen episodes
Ellen Morgan comes out.
Episode nos.	Season 4 Episodes 22/23
Directed by	Gil Junger
Story by	Ellen DeGeneres
Teleplay by	Mark Driscoll Tracy Newman Dava Savel Jonathan Stark
Production code	C385/C386
Original air date	April 30, 1997 (1997-04-30)
Guest appearances
Steven Eckholdt – Richard Laura Dern – Susan Oprah Winfrey – Therapist Billy Bob Thornton – The Grocer Jenny Shimizu – The Woman in the Aisle Demi Moore – The Sample Lady k.d. lang – The First Cashier / The Singer / Janine Gina Gershon – The Second Cashier Jorja Fox – The Attractive Woman Dwight Yoakam – Bagboy Betty DeGeneres – Woman at Airport Melissa Etheridge - Herself
Episode chronology
← Previous "The Clip Show Patient" Next → "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah"
Ellen (season 4)
List of episodes

"The Puppy Episode" is a two-part episode of the American situation comedy television series Ellen. The episode details lead character Ellen Morgan's realization that she is a lesbian and her coming out. It was the 22nd and 23rd episode of the series's 4th season. The episode was written by series star Ellen DeGeneres with Mark Driscoll, Tracy Newman, Dava Savel and Jonathan Stark and directed by Gil Junger. It originally aired on ABC on April 30, 1997. The title was used as a code name for Ellen's coming out so as to keep the episode under wraps.

DeGeneres began negotiating with ABC in 1996 to have Morgan come out. When word of the negotiations got out, DeGeneres found herself at the center of intense speculation about when she or her character, or both, would come out. With DeGeneres hinting at her and her character's coming out both off-screen and within the show, the rumors were confirmed when the episode went into production in March 1997.

Despite threats from advertisers and religious groups, "The Puppy Episode" enjoyed enormous success, won multiple awards and became a cultural phenomenon. Nonetheless, DeGeneres and her show quickly garnered criticism for being "too gay"; the series was canceled after one more season due to lower ratings and DeGeneres and guest star Laura Dern faced career backlashes.^[1]