Ellen DeGeneres brings the funny to Tulane University

May 21, 2009 2:43 PM

Ellen DeGeneres' damn funny Commencement Speech at Tulane University.
posted by Foci for Analysis (27 comments total)

Full video of the introduction, her speech, including her "dancing in the aisles at the end." [after clicking through on connection speed, select "Key Note Speech by Ellen DeGeneres."]

Her appearance at the 2006 Tulane Commencement -- referenced by Tulane President Scott S. Cowen in his introduction to her 2009 speech.
posted by ericb at 3:01 PM on May 21, 2009

Other damn funny Commencement Class Day Speeches (Harvard College):

Al Franken, 2002.

Will Ferrell, 2003.

Ali G, 2004.

Seth MacFarlane, 2006.

posted by ericb at 3:10 PM on May 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

I've always enjoyed Ellen, both on her ABC show and the occasional episode of her talk show I see. She's still quite funny.
posted by graventy at 3:23 PM on May 21, 2009

"I've always enjoyed Ellen, both on her ABC show and the occasional episode of her talk show I see. She's still quite funny."
posted by graventy at 9:23 AM on May 22

I didn't mind her old sitcom but the two or three episodes of her talk show that I saw recently while home sick were pretty lame, I thought. It basically consisted of her making several self-depreciating remarks, fawning over whatever guest was currently on and saying "C'mon!" a lot. In the end I stopped watching since I didn't think it was helping me feel any better.
posted by Effigy2000 at 4:47 PM on May 21, 2009

I love how the dean (or whoever he is) cracks up at her joke at 2:30. :)
posted by aeschenkarnos at 4:58 PM on May 21, 2009

It's funny, what she says about being able to really know yourself when you lose everything is absolutely true, but I don't know that it's possible to truly understand what she means unless you've been through it. Then again, maybe these kids do know a little about it if they survived Katrina. Thanks for posting this, very enjoyable.
posted by seabel at 5:14 PM on May 21, 2009

Damn, she makes me giggle!
posted by njbradburn at 5:25 PM on May 21, 2009

Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming!
posted by SPrintF at 6:36 PM on May 21, 2009 [4 favorites]

Six year run of success with her show, she comes out gay, and they shit-canned her.

I hope we've come a long way since then.
posted by five fresh fish at 7:34 PM on May 21, 2009

C'mon, that was back when the presidents were all white, 5FF.
posted by uosuaq at 8:10 PM on May 21, 2009

Six year run of success with her show, she comes out gay, and they shit-canned her.

Did her show end just because she came out? I don't recall it being very popular even before that point. Or maybe I'm just confusing that with the fact that I never found it very funny.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:28 PM on May 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

I dunno. To hear her tell it, things were groovy until she came out, and then she was dumped like a chump.
posted by five fresh fish at 8:44 PM on May 21, 2009

I was just a kid in Kansas at the time, but I seem to recall Ellen's show being hugely popular. Then Ellen came out and more conservative folks tuned out. Now, some of this was obviously because of horror of horrors! The GAY! But part of it was also that when Ellen came out, her show was suddenly An Issue (I think there was even a lesbian kiss in one episode?). And people didn't want to come home from a hard day of work to think about An Issue. They wanted their innocent, lighthearted laughs. I'm not saying it's right at all. That's just how it was in my neck o' the woods.
posted by katillathehun at 9:31 PM on May 21, 2009

Um, Effigy2000, what's the point of quoting graventy whose tastes differ from yours?

Your choice, but that's a lot of trouble to go to, just to say "meh".

(Have always loved her myself, but understand that she won't appeal to everyone.)
posted by IAmBroom at 9:43 PM on May 21, 2009

Did her show end just because she came out?

What katillathehun said. Or, shorter: the show sucked leprous donkey tits after she came out.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:43 PM on May 21, 2009

Well, I hope someone lets her know. She seems genuinely upset about it.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:51 PM on May 21, 2009

probably because coming out was a huge deal for her, and huge for tv at the time. But the show became >85% about Ellen Is A Dyke and lost its humour.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 11:33 PM on May 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

The Wikipedia article seems to draw the conclusion that the show was headed for cancellation anyway, and coming out of the closet only delayed matters. I've been looking for historic Nielsen ratings without success.

Ellen was successful enough in its early seasons to warrant annual renewal, due largely to DeGeneres' perceived appeal and comic ability, but it was never a huge critical or ratings success. Only with Ellen's coming out did the show make its way into the wide public consciousness and hit a critical plateau. However, after the initial coming out frenzy the show's ratings declined somewhat and ABC began feeling the pain of an organized backlash from religious conservative groups regarding the "gay content" being exhibited. While the final episodes of Ellen were also widely criticized for focusing too much on gay issues[1] -- a criticism begun in anti-gay circles but which spread to the mainstream media. Eventually, even some members of the gay community, such as GLAAD media director Chastity Bono, began to criticize the show's tone as well.[2] Soon after, ABC pulled the show from the air in May 1998 after five seasons.
posted by BrotherCaine at 11:40 PM on May 21, 2009

I can remember first becoming aware of Ellen Degeneres when she was involved with an awards show thing (can't remember which one, maybe the emmies which is odd because most of those shows are lame and embarrassing so I tend to avoid them) and she was going around the audience with a microphone and talking to people and being really very funny. Then her sitcom came on and it was kinda lame so I stopped watching. After that I watched the first few episodes of her talk show and thought oh, two minutes of her interviewing someone in a very dry manner during which she wasn't particularly funny, hmm. But I'd read things that she'd said things that were funny. So I finally got around to watching her talk show again and yay she seemed funny again. I knew she had it in her. She's a funny bitch! All power to her!
posted by h00py at 1:26 AM on May 22, 2009

But I'd read things that said she'd said things that were funny. Oh please give me an editing window!
posted by h00py at 1:28 AM on May 22, 2009

This is pretty funny: Ellen on the Hawaii Chair
posted by joecacti at 8:24 AM on May 22, 2009

the show sucked leprous donkey tits after she came out.

ABC did not support her after that episode and a lot of the writers left for other jobs sensing the sinking ship.
posted by spec80 at 8:59 AM on May 22, 2009

Sorry, to elaborate: ABC Network stopped supporting her show because affiliates were refusing to air it anymore. But, way to be supportive of a courageous, American culture impacting moment that pretty much ruined her career until her talk show, DNAB.
posted by spec80 at 9:03 AM on May 22, 2009

The content of what she says is very funny, but she's gotta improve her delivery. Pretty flat and monotonic.

Anyway, what the fuck is up with the cheesy, faux medieval shit for the commencement ceremony?
posted by randomstriker at 4:49 PM on May 22, 2009

spec80, I was a queer teen when Ellen was on. You have absolutely no conception of how much I supported her, and how important it was for me to see an out queer character on TV. That doesn't change a single thing about the show sucking. So I'll be waiting for your apology, thanks.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 5:52 PM on May 22, 2009

OK, the common cement speech was funny, but the Hawaii Chair had me laughing until it hurt. I love Ellen DeGeneris.
posted by Michael Roberts at 9:07 AM on May 23, 2009

Damn mispelings.
posted by Michael Roberts at 9:07 AM on May 23, 2009