15 celebs who positively raise awareness for mental health

Ellen DeGeneres

She may be a bubbly TV personality on our screens every afternoon but Ellen DeGeneres has suffered through some pretty low lows. Ellen went through a depression shortly after she came out publicly, which is very common for LGBTQ identifying people.

Once Ellen came out on national television, she was faced with a few different obstacles. The first, of course, is that she was judged, ridiculed, ostracized, and made fun of. She often brings up the fact that she was the butt of every joke on all the late-night shows at the time. And even though she was a comedian, she didn’t find that very funny.

On the opposing side, Ellen was also viewed as a new gay icon by some, which made her feel even more uncomfortable: “I was looked at as the new leader, and I didn’t want to be a leader, and I didn’t want to be political. I just wanted to be free from a secret and that’s all I wanted.”

While some saw her as a beacon, others judged her for taking on this new role that nobody asked for.

"Some people thought, ‘You’re not gay enough and you’re not doing enough for our community and there are so many that have done more.’ […] I didn’t say I was your leader and I didn’t say I have done more. I just want to be a comedian, and I just happen to be gay."

Ellen has become a gay icon in our current culture and community, but it looks like a role she never intended on having, and that has clearly affected her mental well-being.