Watch: Ellen DeGeneres' Speech for Winning Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

Earlier this week Ellen DeGeneres picked up the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D.C. Following funny women including Jane Lynch and Lily Tomlin, who paid tribute to the honoree, Ellen took the stage to offer thanks for the prize and to prove just why she was worthy of it with her hilarious, gentle humor. “I just thought that I’d be a closeted gay comedian wearing parachute pants.”

Tracy E. Gilchrist
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.