I'm Ellen, and I'm gay.
Yesterday, if you haven't heard--
the California Supreme Court overturned a ban
on gay marriage.
So I would like to say right now for the first time,
I am announcing I am getting married.
What's it like being married to Ellen?
She's right here.
I mean, you've known us for a while.
We have like, the best relationship ever.
Nine years.
A great relationship.
I want to read you a letter that I would have
written to you when I was 13.
OK.
Wow.
Dear Mrs. DeGeneres, my name is Kate.
I'm from Long Island.
It's come to my attention that I'm gay as hell.
No one else is gay for 200,000 miles.
So it's nice to know that you exist.
I bet if I ever met you, I would act so weird.
So I hope I never do.
Thank you for being so funny and such an inspiration
and making me feel less alone.
P.S. my iguana isn't eating.
What do I do?
What inspired you to come out at that time?
Just knowing like it was something
that I should have done.
But I was not in a position where
I had to worry about like family and friends,
like how they would react, I guess.
But it's like, you know, in the past year, I'm at a new level.
So it's like it doesn't really matter, I guess.
And also just, how it would be good for the young'uns who are
listening to me right now who are going to have to go through
stuff like this in the future, to know like, it's all right,
I guess.
It is all right.
We've never met before.
But a couple of years ago, I was on the cover of Time magazine.
Yes, you were, first transgender
on the cover of Time magazine.
Look at that!
And you tweeted me out.
I don't if you remember.
Oh, yeah.
She tweeted, it's about time.
And it just felt very-- because Ellen back in the day,
was on the cover of Time magazine too--
and that moment was so special for me and for so many people
our community.
And it just felt really good.
Because it was so weird thing being
on the cover of Time magazine.
It's like, oh, my god.
It sure is.
I had been famous for like five minutes,
and I'm on the cover of Time magazine.
I was like, I don't know. This is weird.
And so your tweet was like, OK, maybe this is OK.
You have so much support.
You're known-- I mean, you're 18 years old--
and you're known as a gay icon.
And do you take that on?
Or how do you feel about that label?
It's wild to me I think, because I
look at people who are called gay icons, you,
Lady Gaga, Freddie Mercury, my favorite people.
And to be in that category at 18 is just insane.
And just because of who I am, it feels amazing.
When you look back on when you were watching TV,
who was the first gay person that you saw?
I guess it had to be Liberace, you know?
Because I remember watching Ed Sullivan, Liberace and all--
and my grandmother and my parents-- they were watching.
They were like, that man can play that piano.
They were cool with it.
But I mean, you had to know that Liberace was gay.
I mean, good lord.
He never said it.
You don't have to say it.
You don't have to say.
He's got beads and feathers.
Why does he have to say, I'm gay?
Look at that.
That says, hey! I'm gay!
It says it.
There are so many people who still don't believe he's gay
because he never said it.
Do you know that?
No.
Those people are dumb.
You see him, you're like, oh, that guy
appreciates another man.
That guy, that Liberace, he appreciates a gentleman caller.
He does.
Stephanie and I have named each other--
because we couldn't figure out what we should be called--
and I suggested the funny one and the pretty one.
And I'm going to be the pretty one.
Because I love the idea of the kids growing up and being like,
the funny one said we could go out and play.
Well, you tell the funny one that the pretty one said--
Yes, this is my first time here.
But I met you like really briefly one time.
I know you don't remember, because you're Ellen.
But it meant a lot to me, because you're
lord of the lesbians.
I'm the Lord of lesbians?
Yes.
And I got that out.
I had to say it.
I got that out.
OK.
Where did we meet?
Probably at a lesbian event.
But I go to those sometimes. I see you.
At the meetings?
At the Lesbian meetings?
Right.
I know how hard it is for anyone to come out,
especially a football player in a small town.
And you looked very, very nervous doing that speech.
How long had you been thinking about it?
Honestly, probably three or four years.
I'd say I was really nervous at first.
And then I mean, my school was super supportive
and everything.
That's great.
But I knew that--
I mean, it could be different once I came out
and I was actually out there in the public.
So I was nervous at first.
But I was definitely embraced and loved by everybody.
You were on the cover of People magazine,
the pride issue.
And it's a great article.
Thank you.
Are you happy with how it turned out?
I'm very happy.
People ask me, how do you feel?
Well, you know what?
Every time I have the opportunity to number one,
talk about my family, and let the world know that
we're a good people and how we feel and how we love--
it's really--
I just want to normalize families like mine.
And I know it's very interesting.
But a lot of people tell me, Ricky,
thank you so much for just posting that picture with you,
your husband, and your kids.
That made me feel better about myself.
Now, at that time, did you realize you were gay or no?
You were in denial.
Absolutely.
Oh, you did know.
Absolutely.
I look back thinking like,
I pulled the wool over everybody's eyes.
And they're like, not really.
They can come back at you 20 years later, they're like,
no, you were pretty gay.
I was like, what made you say that?
You don't get to practice that.
You did that in your special, and you said,
I'm gay to a crowd, not knowing how they would respond,
not knowing what they would do.
So what was that emotion you felt when you said that?
Terrified.
Very terrified.
I never thought I would do it.
I never thought I would say it.
I never thought I would publicly be out and gay.
Like saying it professionally or saying it on stage--
it was hard in that moment.
Coming out to people, felt like--
coming out to my family.
It was like an audience that even
resembled my family in many ways.
It’s that they were Black.
That's the many ways.
But you know, it was beautiful in that moment.
Like, it's a lingering few seconds where I say it.
And it's a release and a relief.
But yeah, it was really scary.
I was really scared.
It was the hardest thing that I ever had to do in my life.
And I would not change one moment of it,
because it led me to be exactly where I am today,
standing in front of all of you.