Crazy Doesn’t Change The World Bravery Does
Ellen Thinks Differently
Ellen Degeneres shocked audiences and took on Hollywood when she chose to come out and share her personal life with the world in 1997. Despite the backlash and hardship, Ellen fought and worked hard to bring happiness to Americans and smiles to audiences all over the world.
She is one of the most prominent figures of the LGBTQ community today. She is a renowned comedian, actress, TV host, writer, and producer. She is also the creator of Heads Up, a popular board game and mobile app that was downloaded 650,000 times in its first month!
With the rise of the digital media age, the biggest names in comedy have jumped onto the online platforms with significant success. Think of Jimmy Kimmel’s “Mean Tweets” and Halloween candy prank videos that circulate yearly, James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke that will have its own television show, and John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight’s segment clips remain as one of the most popularly honest and comedic takes on news in Youtube.
However, what makes Ellen different is her heart. Ellen’s heart is the reason over 4 million people watch her episode and her heart is the reason we don’t put our phones down when playing Heads Up. She creates joy effortlessly and we love her for it.
As a full-fledged TV show host of one of the world’s biggest talk shows, the Ellen Show, she invites guests from every walk of life to sit on her couch, enjoy a few laughs, and most of all, inspire them and reward them for the joy they bring to others.
The Ellen Difference
While many of Ellen’s guests are celebrities, her biggest digital impact is her habit of bringing onto her show individuals or groups who have made significant waves on social media or the digital world. She brings in people who have gone viral online for their selfless deeds and huge accomplishments.
An example of such is when she befriended and brought to her show Talia Castellano, a 13-year-old girl who had been battling cancer. Talia had been quietly and diligently maintaining a beauty vlog on Youtube, but her presence on the Ellen Show brought even more national attention, she even got her to become a Covergirl.
Recently, Ellen invited the entire Thai soccer team of young boys who had survived the Thailand Cave Rescue, a gripping event that had captured the world. It was their first major western media appearance. Through Ellen’s show, they described how they survived the cave, and the struggles they have been through.
Her show helps you understand the struggles of the world but it also reminds you humanity isn’t ready to give up on doing the right thing and neither is Ellen.
Charity, LGBT, and Social Issues
Ellen’s generosity is widely known and appreciated. Charity is a huge part of Ellen’s life. She has donated to countless animal shelters and urges others to do the same. She also donates to movements in support of the LGBT community; and in addition, she continues to broadcast about them in all social media platforms, opening the discussion up to her massive audience.
As an out and outspoken member of the LGBT community herself (she and her wife, actress Portia de Rossi have been in the limelight for quite some time as one of the most famous couples in the entertainment industry), she openly speaks out about numerous social issues related to the LGBT community.
She advocates online for the support of young LGBT individuals and groups that shelter them, and she speaks out against harmful concepts such as the bullying of LGBT youth in schools that have driven many teens to suicide.
She has made a huge impact in the LGBT youth movement and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2016, President Barack Obama awarded Ellen the Medal of Freedom.
“It’s easy to forget now, when we’ve come so far, where now marriage is equal under the law, just how much courage was required for Ellen to come out on the most public of stages almost 20 years ago. Just how important it was not just for the LGBT community, but for all us to see somebody so full of kindness and light — somebody we liked so much, somebody who could be our neighbor or our colleague or our sister — challenge our own assumptions, remind us that we have more in common than we realize, push our country in the direction of justice. What an incredible burden it was to bear, to risk your career like that. People don’t do that very often.”
Ellen Degeneres continues to show us what is possible when you choose love and joy over prejudice. What boundaries you can cross and what lives you can change when you go after your dreams and find a way to help others achieve their dreams too.
This year for Pride Month, we’d like to say Thank You to Ellen for her support to the LGBTQ community and bringing joy to our lives, bravery to our soul and continuing to create amazing content and products in the digital space.
We at Tangerine love you.
