Ellen DeGeneres On Coming Out, President Trump, Her Prank War With Matt Lauer

>>> AND THAT IS YOUR LATEST WEATHER.
>> AL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. MATT IS JUST BACK FROM LOS
ANGELES AND YOU SAT DOWN WITH ELLEN.
>> THAT'S RIGHT. SHE WELCOME ME TO HER SHOW ON
THURSDAY. RIGHT AFTER THAT APPEARANCE I
FLIPPED THE TABLE WITH THE STUDIO AUDIENCE STILL THERE
BECAUSE I HAD SOME QUESTIONS FOR HER.
I HONESTLY DIDN'T KNOW WE WERE HAVING AN AUDIENCE TODAY.
>> OF COURSE THEY'RE STAYING FOR THIS.
OF COURSE, THEY ARE. >> OKAY.
THEY'RE GOING TO GROAN AT THIS, BUT THE LAST TIME WE SAT DOWN,
YOU TOLD ME THAT WHEN THE INSPIRATION STOPS, YOU GET OUT.
ARE YOU ANY CLOSER TO FEELING THAT WAY, DO YOU THINK?
>> NO. LOOK, I HAVE SO MUCH FUN DOING
THE SHOW RIGHT NOW. AND YOU KNOW, SOME DAYS ARE MORE
FUN THAN OTHERS, BUT EVEN ON MY LEAST FUN DAY IT'S THE GREATEST
JOB IN THE WORLD. SO I'M STILL HAVING FUN.
THIS IS THE HARDEST THING I THAT EVER HAD TO DO IN MY LIFE.
>> YOU HAD A SHOW RECENTLY, YOU SPENT A WHOLE HOUR LOOKING BACK
AT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED IN YOUR LIFE IN THE LIFE OF THIS
COUNTRY REALLY 20 YEARS AGO. >> YES.
>> THE EPISODE OF YOUR SITCOM WHERE YOU CAME OUT ON NATIONAL
TV. >> I'M SO AFRAID TO TELL PEOPLE.
I MEAN, I JUST -- SUSAN, I'M GAY.
>> IF YOU LOOK BACK WITH THE BENEFIT OF 20 YEARS, DOES IT
FEEL DIFFERENTLY TO YOU NOW? DO YOU LOOK AT IT, THAT EVENT
DIFFERENTLY THAN YOU DID AT THE TIME?
>> I WAS ANTICIPATING IT BEING A CHARGED EPISODE, WHICH IT WAS
BECAUSE IT WAS, YOU KNOW, MAKING A BIG DECISION TO COME OUT AND
TO BE HONEST AND STOP HIDING SOMETHING THAT I'D KEPT SECRET
FOR SO LONG. IT WAS A BIG DEAL.
I LOOK BACK ON IT NOW AND I THINK I WISH I WOULD HAVE DONE
IT SOONER. I WISH I HADN'T WAITED SO LONG,
BUT IT WAS WHAT IT WAS. >> DID YOU GET A LOT OF LETTERS
BACK THEN FROM PEOPLE SAYING, YOU KNOW, YOUR BRAVERY INSPIRED
ME AND BECAUSE OF YOU I CAN BE -- AND DO YOU SAVE THOSE
LETTERS? >> I GOT LETTERS OF PEOPLE THAT
WERE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, TAKE THEIR LIVES AND DID NOT BECAUSE
OF WHAT I DID. I GOT LETTERS FROM PEOPLE WHO
SAID THAT THEY COULD HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THEIR PARENTS
OR THEIR PARENTS CALLED THEM AND RECOGNIZED THAT THEIR CHILDREN
HAD BEEN HIDING. AND SO I GOT A LOT OF LETTERS
AND, YES, I HAVE THOSE. >> WHAT WAS THE MOST NEGATIVE
THING THAT HAPPENED 20 YEARS AGO AFTER YOU CAME OUT?
WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER? >> YOU KNOW, THERE WERE DEATH
THREATS AND THAT WAS NEGATIVE. I LOOK AT THAT AS A NEGATIVE.
THE BIGGEST THING WAS THAT I LOST MY CAREER.
YOU KNOW, FOR THREE YEARS, I COULDN'T WORK.
AND WAS NOT OFFERED ONE THING. AND I WAS RUNNING OUT OF MONEY.
AND I DIDN'T KNOW IF I WAS GOING TO WORK AGAIN.
I WAS 45 YEARS OLD. I WAS LIKE THIS DOESN'T LOOK
GOOD. >> AT THAT TIME WERE YOU ANGRY
OR PROUD? >> I WAS ANGRY.
I STARTED WRITING STANDUP AGAIN AND CAME BACK.
IT TAUGHT ME COMPASSION. IT TAUGHT ME THAT I WAS STRONG
ENOUGH TO START ALL OVER AGAIN. AND IT WAS THE GREATEST THING
THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME. >> YOU'RE SOCIALLY AWARE, VERY
SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS. YOU ARE AT TIMES OUTSPOKEN.
WHAT'S YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH DONALD TRUMP?
DO YOU KNOW HIM AT ALL? HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO
INTERVIEW HIM? TALK TO HIM?
>> I DON'T KNOW HIM. I KNOW HIM FROM "CELEBRITY
APPRENTICE" BECAUSE WHEN WE FIRST STARTED THE SHOW WE WENT
OUT THERE AND FILMED SOMETHING WITH HIM.
SO I FLEW IN HIS HELICOPTER AND DID A BIT WITH HIM.
AND SO I KNEW HIM THEN. I HAVE NOT SPOKEN TO HIM SINCE
HE'S RUN FOR PRESIDENT OR BECOME PRESIDENT.
>> WOULD YOU LIKE HIM TO COME ON THE SHOW?
>> NO. >> WHY NOT?
WHY WOULDN'T SOMEONE LIKE YOU LIKE TO SIT DOWN OPPOSITE THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES? >> BECAUSE I'M NOT GOING TO
CHANGE HIS MIND. HE'S AGAINST EVERYTHING THAT I
STAND FOR. WE NEED TO LOOK AT SOMEONE ELSE
WHO LOOKS DIFFERENT THAN US AND BELIEVES IN SOMETHING THAT WE
DON'T BELIEVE IN AND STILL ACCEPT THEM AND STILL LET THEM
HAVE THEIR RIGHTS. >> WHAT KEEPS YOU MOST GROUNDED?
>> I KEEP MYSELF GROUNDED. I THINK PORTIA.
I THINK IT'S AGAIN WHU KEEP EACH OTHER IN CHECK.
>> WHO KEEPS YOU. >> THE BUTLER WHO WASHES ME.
>> STILL. YOU'RE THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF
FIRST DATE. WHY?
WHAT WAS IT ABOUT FIRST DATES THAT GOT IN YOUR MIND AND YOU
SAID, WAIT, THERE'S A SHOW HERE? >> BECAUSE IT'S ALREADY PROVEN
THAT IT'S A SUCCESSFUL SHOW IN OTHER PLACES.
WE JUST TOOK THE FORMAT. WE JUST BORROWED IT.
I'M SO GLAD OF THE CASTING. WE HAVE GREAT COUPLES.
PEOPLE ARE REALLY ACTING LIKE THEY WERE ON A FIRST DATE AND
THEY'RE NOT INHIBITED. IT IS NOT A REALITY SHOW IN A
MEAN SPIRITED WAY. IT'S ACTUALLY A GREAT SHOW.
>> TRIVIA QUESTION, DO YOU THINK I'VE EVER BEEN ON A BLIND DATE?
>> YES, I DO. YES, HAVE YOU?
>> I'M STILL MARRIED TO MY ONLY BLIND DATE.
>> REALLY? >> THAT'S THE ONLY BLIND DATE I
WAS EVER ON. >> THAT'S FANTASTIC.
>> NOT LONG FROM NOW, WITHIN A MONTH OF EACH OTHER, WE WILL
BOTH TURN 60. >> MM-HMM.
>> IF WE HAVE THE PLEASURE OF SITTING DOWN AND TALKING AS
WE'RE ABOUT TO CELEBRATE OUR 70th BIRTHDAY, WHAT WILL YOU BE
DOING? >> HOPEFULLY I'LL BE HEALTHY AND
I'LL BE HAPPY. I DON'T KNOW IF I'M GOING TO DO
THIS SHOW ANY MORE. I'M GOING TO BREAK A HIP AT SOME
POINT. >> IF THIS PRANK CAR CONTINUES
SHE'LL PROBABLY CAUSE ME TO
BREAK MY HIP AS WELL. >> SHE GOT YOU.
>> I WAS ON GUARD THE WHOLE TIME I WAS THERE.
THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I JUST LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT AND THAT GUY
WITH THE WIG ON. >> HE'D BEEN SITTING IN A BOX
FOR THE FIRST 25 MINUTES OF THE INTERVIEW.
>> AND GO. >> RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A
SENTENCE. >> THAT'S THE OFFENSIVE PART.
THAT'S THE SAVANNAH GUTHRIE IMPERSONATOR.
THAT HAIRY GUY? >> NO.
>> YES. >> THAT NEVER CROSSED MY MIND.
>> SURPRISED HIM WITH -- >> HE CAME OUT WITH THE CUE
DON'T ASK ME ABOUT SAVANNAH. >> LOOKS LIKE FRED FLINTSTONE.
>> I KNOW. >> A GREAT CHAT WITH ELLEN.

Ellen DeGeneres On Coming Out, President Trump, Her Prank War With Matt Lauer | TODAY

Latest Posts