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All you want for Christmas in 2019 is Ellen

Jennifer Aniston and Ellen kissing
Jennifer Aniston and Ellen kissing Photo: Screenshot/EllenTube

Ellen continued to bring LGBTQ people into America’s living rooms in 2019.

From everyday people to LGBTQ celebrities – including recurring guests and guest hosts Wanda Sykes and Sean Hannity – Ellen opened people’s minds with her show for another year.

Related: Here are the top 10 best LGBTQ holiday movies to spice up your season

Here are the most amazing LGBTQ moments on The Ellen Degeneres Show in 2019. And when you’re done watching these clips, check out our lists from 2017 and 2018.

10. Ellen kissed Howard Stern to draw attention away from her friendship with George W. Bush

Even something really straight like kissing a man can be completely queer when Ellen does it.

She had radio shock jock Howard Stern on her show who suggested they kiss to get the media to stop talking about her friendship with George W. Bush, who killed hundreds of thousands of people with his war in Iraq.

And Ellen was more than willing to do it, kissing him like he was her cousin.

She then had her body double Ross re-enact the kiss, digitally inserting him in her position to make it look like he was kissing Stern.

9. Ellen talked to a Mormon university’s gay valedictorian who came out at commencement

Brigham Young University valedictorian Matt Easton went viral when he came out in his commencement speech.

BYU bans LGBTQ students, and Easton told Ellen that he was afraid at the school because he was “everybody is watching me.” He explained that he was trying to honor the memory of a classmate who came out on Facebook and then died of suicide after getting so much hatred from the community.

8. Ellen promised to officiate Cory Booker’s wedding

2020 presidential hopeful and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) told Ellen he was dating actress Rosario Dawson, and Ellen said they should get married in the White House if he wins the primary and the general election. He then asked her to “help preside” over the wedding.

It hasn’t even been five years since marriage equality became a reality for all 50 states, and straight people are already asking to be married by America’s most famous lesbian.

7. Ellen talked to a gay man and his mother about their journey to acceptance

Ellen talked to Bryden and his mother Michelle about how she didn’t accept him when he first came out and how she was worried about him facing discrimination and coming out to his father… who is also an Ellen fan.

Year after year, Ellen shows that she’s at her best when she’s talking to everyday LGBTQ people and giving them a chance to share their stories with America.

6. Ellen and Lil Nas X talked about coming out at the heights of their careers

Lil Nas X had one of the biggest hits in history earlier this year, and at the height of his success he came out.

So, of course, he talked to Ellen about it, and she asked him why he came out now.

“It would be good for the young’uns who are listening to me right now, who won’t have to go through stuff like this in the future,” he responded.

5. Ellen lip syncs Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All” with a drag queen

Ellen introduced a segment on kids’ letters, which opened with “The Greatest Love of All,” and then a drag queen entered the stage to lip sync it with her.

They got carried away and completely forgot about the kids’ letters, but who cares, Ellen lip syncing with a drag queen to one of the most lip sync-able songs ever is better than any kid’s letter.

4. Pete Buttigieg threw down the gauntlet at Mike Pence on Ellen’s show

In April, South Bend Mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg called out Mike Pence for his long history of anti-LGBTQ statements and actions, and Pence defended himself by saying that his entire life was misinterpreted.

Ellen asked the Hoosier mayor about it and he said that the best response would be for Pence to “come out today, and say he’s changed his mind, that it shouldn’t be legal to discriminate against anybody in this country for who they are.”

Yeah… that didn’t happen.

3. A woman proposed to her girlfriend on Ellen’s show

Kate shared a picture with Ellen of her proposing to her girlfriend Sarah in front of the Eiffel Tower, but Sarah also wanted to give Kate a memorable proposal. So she worked with Ellen, got her family and friends on the show, and then got down on one knee.

2. Ellen and Jennifer Aniston kissed because Jennifer was envious of Howard Stern

After kissing Howard Stern on her show, Jennifer Aniston wanted to know what it’s like. And who better to show her than Ellen?

Friends and Ellen were both on the air in the 90s, but this cross-over had to wait two decades to happen.

1. Ellen Page and Ellen Degeneres talked LGBTQ issues & queer self-love

The world’s two most famous queer Ellens talked after Ellen Degeneres was getting criticized online for being too forgiving of homophobia, specifically Kevin Hart’s and Chris Pratt’s.

Ellen Page talked to her about how internalized homophobia “poisons you” in a tense moment, telling Ellen Degeneres – who has been the target of unimaginable homophobia – that she needs to take stock of how much she has been affected by it.

Which… might not be bad advice.

This intergenerational lesbian conversation was a rare moment of queer candor on TV, which is why it’s LGBTQ Nation‘s favorite queer Ellen moment of 2019.

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