The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has honored Ellen DeGeneres by giving the out television personality a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The ceremony happened 11:30 a.m. PST today in Hollywood.
Hollywood LAist reported that American Idol host Ryan Seacrest and talk show host Jimmy Kimmel both spoke at the ceremony, which comes just six days before the start of the 10th season of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. DeGeneres, who was accompanied by her wife during Tuesday’s event, Tweeted earlier today, “I’m getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today at 11am. Come watch me! Also, I’d love a ride home. 6270 Hollywood Blvd.”
DeGeneres has been a champion for equality since coming out in 1997 both on and off the screen while starring as the title character of the ABC sitcom Ellen.
Her work has earned her a total of eight GLAAD Media Awards nominations and two wins. She also received the Stephen F. Kolzak Award in 1998, an award presented to an out LGBT media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality. In a recent Hollywood Reporter cover story, Oprah Winfrey remarked that she believes that being honest and open is a now a significant part of what makes her such a popular talk show host, saying: “Being able to be free – literally – and to express herself in a way that she can be 100 percent truthful with the audience has allowed them to fall in love with her. Honest-to-God truth: I don’t believe she would have been as successful as she has become had she not come out.”
