The Puppy Episode
Dublin Core
Title
The Puppy Episode
Subject
Ellen
Description
"The Puppy Episode (Parts 1 & 2" are the 22nd and 23rd episodes of Season 4 of the sitcom "Ellen." In these episodes, the lead character Ellen Morgan (played by Ellen DeGeneres) comes out as a lesbian, shortly after DeGeneres herself came out as lesbian earlier that same month. This episode marked Ellen Morgan becoming the first gay lead character on a prime-time TV sitcom (History.com Editors, 2025), and led to significant career backlash for both DeGeneres and guest star Laura Dern.
Creator
Gil Junger (Director)
Ellen DeGeneres (Writer)
Mark Driscoll (Writer)
Tracy Newman (Writer)
Dava Savel (Writer)
Jonathan Stark (Writer)
Publisher
American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
Date
30-04-1997
Contributor
Patrick Bristow (Lead Actor)
Ellen DeGeneres (Lead Actor)
Joely Fisher (Lead Actor)
David Anthony Higgins (Lead Actor)
Clea Lewis (Lead Actor)
Jeremy Piven (Lead Actor)
Jack Plotnick (Lead Actor)
Betty DeGeneres (Guest Actor)
Laura Dern (Guest Actor)
Steven Eckholdt (Guest Actor)
Melissa Etheridge (Guest Actor)
Jorja Fox (Guest Actor)
Gina Gershon (Guest Actor)
k. d. lang (Guest Actor)
Demi Moore (Guest Actor)
Jenny Shimizu (Guest Actor)
Billy Bob Thornton (Guest Actor)
Oprah Winfrey (Guest Actor)
Dwight Yoakam (Guest Actor)
Rights
© Touchstone Pictures
Format
Television episodes
Language
English
Type
Digital Media
Identifier
C385/C386
Citation
Gil Junger (Director) et al., “The Puppy Episode,” Omeka, accessed October 1, 2025, https://omeka.ischool.utoronto.ca/items/show/281.