<P> DeGeneres began dropping hints in the episodes leading up to "The Puppy Episode" that she was planning to come out in real life and have her character come out as well, including such sight gags as Ellen Morgan stumbling into an actual closet so that she could come out of it . She also invited comment with her off - screen actions, as when she kissed k.d. lang while presenting her with an award at a Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center function in early 1997 . DeGeneres finally officially came out in Time magazine, with an April 14, 1997 cover emblazoned with the words, "Yep, I'm Gay". She appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show with then - girlfriend Anne Heche the day "The Puppy Episode" was set to air . </P> <P> DeGeneres commented on her months of hinting at her sexuality and the media frenzy within the episode itself, giving Ellen Morgan's friends lines like "Ellen, are you coming out or not?!" and "Yeah, quit jerking us around and come out already!" Morgan's therapist comments that if Morgan does not come out she will "continue to have these dreams and then it's going to show up in your waking life as these little clues that get more and more obvious . And eventually tiresome ." She also says that Morgan cannot blame her reluctance to come out on the media . </P> <P> "The Puppy Episode" and DeGeneres's attendant coming out generated enormous publicity before the show aired . Right - wing groups like the American Family Association pressured ABC to drop the storyline and Ellen sponsors not to advertise; two occasional advertisers, J.C. Penney and Chrysler, decided not to buy time during the episode . Another sponsor, Wendy's, decided not to advertise on Ellen again at all . Despite these losses of potential advertisers, ABC turned away ads from two LGBT - oriented sponsors, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and lesbian vacation company Olivia Cruises . Jerry Falwell called DeGeneres "Ellen Degenerate", to which DeGeneres responded, "I've been getting that since the fourth grade . I guess I'm happy I could give him work ." GLAAD organized "Come Out With Ellen" house parties across the United States and HRC created "Ellen Coming Out House Party" kits that included invitations, posters and an Ellen trivia game . HRC had initially planned to send out about 300 kits . Deluged with requests, they ended up sending out about 3,000 . ABC affiliate WBMA - LP in Birmingham, Alabama, citing "family values", first sought ABC's permission to move the episode out of prime - time to a late - night slot . When ABC declined the request, the affiliate refused to air the episode at all . Local LGBT organization Pride Birmingham arranged for a satellite feed of the episode and rented a 5,000 - seat theatre for a viewing party, with about 1,000 people attending . Local activists circulated a petition requesting that Abilene, Texas - area affiliate KTXS - TV not air the episode but were unsuccessful . </P> <P> "The Puppy Episode" was the highest - rated episode ever of Ellen, drawing some 42 million viewers . "The Puppy Episode" won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and a second for Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing . The episode won a Peabody Award and DeGeneres won a GLAAD Media Award in 1998 . Ellen Morgan's coming out has been described as "the most hyped, anticipated, and possibly influential gay moment on television". GLAAD credits Ellen with paving the way for such LGBT - themed programming as Will and Grace, The L Word, and Ugly Betty and it has been suggested that Ellen and these other series presenting LGBT characters have helped to reduce societal prejudice against LGBT people . The episode was ranked #46 on TV Guide's list of "100 Greatest Episodes of All - Time". </P>

Wendy's famously pulled all of its adams from which tv sitcom in 1997