Laura Dern is looking back on her role in making TV history.
The actress, who starred in the 1997 episode of the ABC sitcom "Ellen" where Ellen DeGeneres comes out, talked about the support she has received from the LGBTQ community. Dern told hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers on the "Las Culturistas" podcast Feb. 11 episode that in order to "affect change," someone had to be "first."
"The idea of culture catching up to storytelling had to be a thing when someone would go first," she said, referring to the "Ellen" episode.
Dern said she was excited to be a part of the episode, which was one of the first times a character came out as gay on TV and came shortly after DeGeneres came out in real life. But the actress said her choice to star in the episode amid her film success in "Jurassic Park" confused the people around her.
She said it was an "honor and privilege" to be a part of the episode alongside her "friend," with other guest stars including Oprah Winfrey, Demi Moore and Billy Bob Thornton. She called it a "massive moment" but also recalled the series receiving bomb threats and losing advertisers.
