Ellen paved the way for gay celebrities everywhere. She came out publicly to Oprah in 1997, and then her character came out a few months later on Ellen to a therapist, played by Oprah. Unfortunately her show only lasted one more season, but five years later she reinvented herself as a talk show host (and a darn good one). She also struck lesbian gold when she started dating Portia de Rossi in 2004. They married in 2008.