Kate McKinnon presented Ellen DeGeneres with the second Carol Burnett Award for outstanding contributions to television after a personal salute stating, “In 1997, when Ellen’s sitcom was at the height of its popularity, I was in my mother’s basement lifting weights in front of the mirror & thinking, ‘Am I... gay?’ And I was. That’s a very scary thing to suddenly know about yourself & the only thing that made it less scary was seeing Ellen on TV.” McKinnon became the first openly lesbian cast member to join Saturday Night Live in 2012. Accepting the award DeGeneres continued the sentiment stating, “All I ever wanted to do was make people feel good & laugh & there's no greater feeling than when someone tells me I've made their day better with my show or that I've helped them get through a sickness or a hard time with their lives. That is the power of television & I'm so, so grateful to be a part of it." When DeGeneres came out on her sitcom in 1997 it changed the face of TV for our LGBTQ community. After the turbulence that followed she went on to host her syndicated TV talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show since 2003. In addition to her television career she's an advocate & philanthropist & has hosted the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards & the Primetime Emmys. The Carol Burnett Award is an honorary Golden Globe Award bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) for outstanding contributions to television on or off the screen based on their body of work & the lasting impact that their television career achievements have had on both the industry & audiences.
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