Sunday, April 30 marks twenty years since Ellen’s two-part “The Puppy Episode,” in which the main character, Ellen Morgan (Ellen DeGeneres) comes to the realization that she’s a lesbian, first aired on ABC. Controversial to some, pioneering to others, and one of the highest-rated sitcom episodes of the decade, “The Puppy Episode” was nothing less than a landmark moment in the history of LGBT representation on TV. In honor of its of twentieth anniversary, Paste takes a (far-from-exhaustive) look back at some of our favorite gay characters from the years since.
“The Puppy Episode — Parts 1 & 2,” as well as all other episodes of Ellen, are available to stream for free in the Throwbacks section of the ABC app.
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Ellen, Ellen Morgan (Ellen DeGeneres)
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Roseanne, Leon Carp (Martin Mull)
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True Blood, Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis)
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Modern Family, Cameron Tucker & Mitchell Pritchett (Eric Stonestreet & Jesse Tyler Ferguson)
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Archer, Ray Gillette (Adam Reed)
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Shameless, Ian Gallagher & Mickey Milkovic (Cameron Monaghan & Noel Fisher)
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Girls, Elijah Krantz (Andrew Rannells)
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The Simpsons, Waylon Smithers (Harry Shearer)
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Six Feet Under, David Fisher & Keith Charles (Michael C. Hall & Mathew St. Patrick)
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The Wire, Omar Devone Little (Michael K. Williams)