Ellen came out of the closet in real life while her sitcom character did the same.In her character's coming-out episode, Dern shared a kiss with her during a guest stint on the ABC series, 'Ellen'. Dern told Ellen that she couldn't get a job for more than a year after the show aired.
"There was certainly backlash, I guess, (that) we all felt from it," she told DeGeneres, who said she was sorry and "had no idea" that Dern had gotten the cold shoulder in Hollywood.
Not getting work felt "awfully terrifying," recalled Dern, who said she's grateful for the "extraordinary experience and opportunity" to be a part of the groundbreaking episode, which also guest starred Oprah Winfrey, Demi Moore and Melissa Etheridge.
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