The Team Behind Ellen DeGeneres’ 1997 Coming Out Episode Revisits Public Backlash

As Ellen DeGeneres brings what’s believed to be her final Hollywood chapter to a close, a new documentary is taking a look back at the trailblazing television series that put her on the cultural map.

HuffPost caught a sneak peek at Sunday’s episode of CNN’s “TV on the Edge,” which features an on-camera reunion of the creative team behind DeGeneres’ Emmy-winning comedy, “Ellen,” which ran from 1994 to 1998.

These days, “Ellen” is best remembered for “The Puppy Episode,” which aired during the show’s fourth season in 1997. The episode depicted DeGeneres’ character, Ellen Morgan, coming out as a lesbian. It also coincided with DeGeneres’ public acknowledgement of her real-life sexuality on the cover of Time magazine.

By 2024 standards, “The Puppy Episode” is incredibly tame. But, as some of the “Ellen” team recalled in the below clip from “TV on the Edge,” that wasn’t the case 26 years ago. Not only was the public backlash to the episode significant, but the show’s set was hit with a bomb threat. As for DeGeneres herself, she dealt with an alleged stalker.

Watch a clip from the Oct. 6 episode of “TV on the Edge” below.

“Ellen had a fear that somebody might come after her,” casting director Tammy Billik explains in the clip. “There was a bomb threat when we were filming the show.”

Dava Savel, one of the show’s executive producers and writers, chalked much of the pushback to “The Puppy Episode” up to an overall lack of awareness regarding LGBTQ+ issues at the time.

“People didn’t understand, and when people don’t understand, they get scared,” Savel says. “And when they get scared, they get angry. And that’s what we were getting a lot of.”

The “Ellen” episode of “TV on the Edge” comes a little more than a week after DeGeneres herself unveiled “Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval.” The comedy special, which dropped on Netflix Sept. 24, has been billed as DeGeneres’ last. The special’s release has not been without controversy, as it follows the explosive allegations of workplace misconduct that left an indelible mark on her reputation.

“This is the last time you’re going to see me,” she reportedly told audience members at a July show in Santa Rosa, California, while ruling out the prospect of future acting projects.

“TV on the Edge,” which debuted Sept. 22, examines some of the most groundbreaking moments in TV history and how each has continued to shape pop culture in the present day.

The show’s premiere episode took a look at “Murphy Brown,” and the controversy that ensued when the show’s title character (Candace Bergen), who was a television journalist, consciously decided to raise a baby on her own. The plot line sparked the ire of former Vice President Dan Quayle, who publicly blasted the show for “mocking the importance of fathers.”

“TV on the Edge” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CNN.