It is a great time to be alive in 2016.  Lgbt couples have the right to marry and are featured on many tv shows.  Shelter animals are being fed and cared for.  People everywhere are encouraged to make a difference.  All these wonderful things would not be possible without the wonderful comedian Ellen DeGeneres.  Ellen is a comedian who has her own talk show The Ellen Degeneres Show.  It airs weekdays at 4:00.  On her show ellen has celebrity guests and fun activities plus giveaways and donations to worthy causes.  I admire Ellen DeGeneres because she works hard, fights for the rights of others, and tries to make a difference.

Ellen DeGeneres worked hard for her accomplishments.  Ellen performed at a local coffeehouse for 5 years before she made it onto any big shows.  After those five years she received her big break with The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.  After receiving a tip from Jay leno, the show sent a booking agent to check out Ellen’s comedy.  She then started performing on many different talk shows.  Performing at the same venue for 5 years before her big break shows her perseverance.  It shows that hard work yields success.  When Ellen came out of the closet in 1997 her show Ellen started failing.  A year later, in 1998, it was cancelled but Ellen did not give up.  If she given up her work the fight for lgbt rights would have taken a huge hit, but she did not.  Ellen continued working hard fighting for rights and still does today..

I admire Ellen DeGeneres and her fight for the the rights of people and animals.  When Ellen hosted the Oscars in 2014 she gave away 200,000 meals to shelter animals.  Instead of giving away expensive bath bombs and the like Ellen gave away 200,000 meals furnished by her charity, Halo.  10,000 meals would go to the animal shelter of the recipients choosing for each oscar gift bag.  She gave others the gift of giving back.  Ellen’s character in her sitcom was the first sitcom character in history to come out.  Today there are more characters than ever that are lgbt.  One of my favorite shows Modern Family features a gay couple raising their adopted daughter.  On the popular british tv show Doctor Who Captain Jack Harkness is openly bisexual.  None of this would be possible if Ellen didn’t get the movement started.  Ellen’s coming out was a huge step towards making society comfortable with lgbt and making the world a more accepting place for many people.

I admire Ellen DeGeneres because she makes a difference in the lives of others.  Ellen currently donates to 45 different charities.  Some well known charities are PETA, UNICEF, habitat for humanity, and Heifer International.  Ellen doesn’t just use her wealth and status for herself.  She uses it as a tool to help others in need.  In 2011 Ellen saw that Whitney Elementary School principal Sherrie Gahn was working hard to educate the poor and the homeless.  Whitney Elementary School is in Nevada, and Whitney is a suburb of Las Vegas.  In Whitney families are poor and often can’t afford schooling and supplies.  Principal Sherrie Gahn put a lot of effort into educating everyone there equally.  Upon hearing this story Ellen donated $100,000 to Whitney Elementary School and featured Mrs. Gahn on The Ellen Show.  When Ellen sees someone else making a difference she rewards them and gives them the means to make more of a difference.  She helps them and those that they help.

I admire Ellen because she worked hard for many years on her way to the top, She fights for rights, especially lgbt and animal rights, and she encourages others to make a difference by rewarding and funding them.  Ellen is a comedian who changes the world.  It’s not just doctors and scientists that make a difference, anyone can.