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]
"ThePuppyEpisode" is a two-part episode of the American situation comedy television series Ellen. Theepisode details lead character Ellen Morgan's realization...
She starred in the sitcom Ellen from 1994 to 1998, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for "ThePuppyEpisode". She also hosted the syndicated television...
intern.[citation needed] Fox appeared in "The PuppyEpisode: Part 2", the April 30, 1997 episode of the sitcom Ellen, in which that series' main character...
DeGeneres's coming out in the media as well as a 1997 episode of Ellen, "ThePuppyEpisode", as "rank[ing], hands down, as the single most public exit in...
include Cheers, The Nanny, The Drew Carey Show and Ellen for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for co-writing "ThePuppyEpisode". and a Peabody Award...
1997, Eckholdt appeared in "ThePuppyEpisode" of the sitcom Ellen, and in The Practice. In 2003, Eckholdt starred in the CBS television sitcom My Big...
The following is the filmography of American actor, filmmaker, singer and songwriter Billy Bob Thornton. List of awards and nominations received by Billy...
and producer. He became widely known as the creator, co-showrunner, writer, and director of the drama series The Bear (2022–present), for which he has won...
played the therapist in "ThePuppyEpisode" on the sitcom Ellen to whom the character (and the real-life Ellen DeGeneres) came out as a lesbian. The power...
Trump on an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, An Off-Broadway play, "The 1st Annual Trump Family Special". and in an episode of CBS All...
City. She has directed and written episodes of both shows, as well as the miniseries Time Traveling Bong and the 2017 film Rough Night. Aniello was born...
three episodes of her sitcom Ellen, playing a different character each time (including a non-speaking cameo in the iconic "PuppyEpisode"), and in the TV...
Puppy Dog Pals is an American animated television series created by Harland Williams. The series debuted on Disney Junior in the United States on April...
known for her work on Hacks, The Good Place, Parks and Recreation, and Broad City. She is the co-creator and co-showrunner of the critically-acclaimed HBO...
television series ranging from 1992 to the present. His first major roles included the CBS crime drama P.S. I Luv U and the 1993 movie Red Rock West. In 1996...
out episode in 1997 was enormous; Ellen DeGeneres appeared on the cover of Time magazine the week before the airing of "ThePuppyEpisode" with the headline...
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