Ellen DeGeneres and her struggle with depression

Ellen DeGeneres is one of TV’s brightest personalities and an unassailable advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights. 

She recently revealed that it was a long, difficult journey to get where she is now. In a candid interview, she described her horrific treatment after coming out in 1997 on The Oprah Winfrey Show and how she slunk into a deep depression.

As a guest on Dax Shepard’s new podcast series armchair expert, Ellen DeGeneres spoke candidly about her mental health battles and how she was sucked into a relentless media cycle where she became the butt of every joke and was ostracized from Hollywood.

She said, “Everybody assumed I was just nonstop talking about it. It hurt my feelings. I was getting jokes made at my expense on every late-night show, people were making fun of me. I was depressed.”

In the beginning, there was nothing. God said, Let there be light! And there was light. There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better.

Ellen DeGeneres

The story behind her struggle

In 1997, Ellen DeGeneres decided to come out as gay, bravely. However, the criticism she received was beyond measure that she slipped into severe depression.

Due to the stigma surrounding the LGBTQ+ community, she was being bullied because of her sexuality. At that time, she didn’t understand what her mistake was, as she was the same person she used to be. Now the only difference was that she had opened up, and the perception of society had compelled her into a state of depression. Soon, she decided to accept herself and sought out professional help. 

Although it wasn’t fair to her, as for 30 years of her life, she only knew to work, and all of a sudden, she was left with nothing. One good decision led her to something excruciating, and it broke her from the inside. It was really hard for her to pick those broken pieces up and place them back to the way they were.

How did she cope up with depression?

Ellen DeGeneres realized that she had to do something to regain her healthy self. She decided to pick herself up and cope with the suffering by engaging herself in healthy habits along with positive coping mechanisms.

She chose the path of acceptance and decided to engage in activities like meditation, writing, and exercise. By committing her dedication to these activities, she started to make her way out of depression. As a result of her hardships, she is now one of the most respected and famous people in the television industry. 

When we talk about mental health and different things that cause it, coping with the stigma of an issue and how it impacts your mental health is rarely discussed. With examples like Ellen DeGeneres, people are further motivated to talk about their sexuality and mental health despite the surrounding stigma.

Written by Prisha and Sanjam