DeGeneres finally officially came out in Time magazine, with an April 14, 1997 cover emblazoned with the words, “Yep, I’m Gay”. She became the first-ever gay lead character in a primetime sitcom. As such, she didn’t just move the LGBTQ visibility needle — she completely reset it. The fact that the onscreen development paralleled portrayer/exec producer Ellen DeGeneres’ own real-life coming out only drew more attention to the historic moment, leading 42 million viewers to tune in to the groundbreaking, Emmy-winning episode. In 2017, on the occasion of the instalment’s 20th anniversary, Oprah Winfrey — who guest-starred in “The Puppy Episode” as Ellen’s shrink — declared to DeGeneres, “You are responsible for so much change. You were the bravest woman ever.” Yep, she’s right.