Ellen DeGeneres received a huge honor at the 2020 Golden Globes on Sunday.
Ellen DeGeneres received a huge honor at the 2020 Golden Globes on Sunday.
The 61-year-old comedian received the Carol Burnett Award, which is given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for "outstanding contributions to television on or off the screen." DeGeneres is only the second person ever to receive the award aside from the legendary Burnett herself.
Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon presented DeGeneres with the award and emotionally explained how she personally influenced her, given that DeGeneres famously came out on television at a time when it wasn't as widely accepted and paved the way for other LGBTQ performers like herself.
After a montage of DeGeneres' most memorable moments on television aired, she received a standing ovation from the star-studded audience -- which included her wife, Portia de Rossi -- and gave a hilarious and poignant speech. DeGeneres joked about keeping her speech long, and also about having a husband named Mark and two kids, which the audience laughed loudly at.
On a more serious note, she said that she was finally able to be herself on her incredibly successful daytime talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and listed her idols, including Burnett -- who was in the audience -- as well as Lucille Ball and Mary Tyler Moore.
"Television inspired everything that I am today ," she noted. "... All I want to make people do is laugh, and make people feel good, and there is no greater feeling than when people say ... I have helped them through a difficult time."
DeGeneres noted that the greatest reward for her was people telling her she inspired them to also make people laugh, be kind and help others in need.
"That is the power of television and I'm so grateful to be a part of it," she said.
The honor is the latest addition to DeGeneres' already impressive list of achievements, which include a Presidential Medal of Freedom and a whopping 63 Daytime Emmy Awards for her incredibly successful talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
In their statement in November announcing that DeGeneres was getting the Carol Burnett Award, the HPFA called her a "pioneer."
"From her sitcoms, to stand-up, to becoming a household staple on daytime television, she is a pioneer who has captivated audiences for nearly 25 years with her undeniable charm and wit," Lorenzo Soria, president of the HFPA, said in a statement. "In addition to her television success, she's an advocate and philanthropist, lending her voice to those who don't have one, and spreading kindness and joy through the power of her platform."
To see her greatest moments on television, watch the video below for more:
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