Has it really been that long? Ellen DeGeneres is one of the biggest faces in Hollywood thanks to her hit daytime talk show and outgoing personality, but what many fans want to know is when exactly did the actress come out as gay.

Turns out, it was already 20 years ago! On April 30, 1997, Ellen made history when she admitted she was gay during her old sitcom, Ellen. Two weeks prior, she appeared on the cover of Time with the headline "Yep, I'm Gay."

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When chatting with guest actress Laura Dern during the episode, Ellen made a huge confession that would change her life forever. "This is so hard. I think I realized that I am… I can't even say the word. Why can't I say the word? I mean, what is wrong… why do I have to be so ashamed? I mean, why can't I just say the truth?" Ellen said, before frantically grabbing the microphone and blurting out, "Susan, I'm gay."

Laura once spoke out about the special scene, "I remember kind of holding each other up through this very emotional moment," she said. "It was so profound, and I feel so blessed that I got to be there and witness that."

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Meanwhile, Ellen never imagined "The Puppy Episode" would leave an impact on people like it did. "I mean, I knew that it would be big, but I had no idea that it would be this big," she told Oprah Winfrey back in 1997 of the moment watched by nearly 50 million people.

The talk show hosts recently got together to reflect on the memorable TV moment. Oprah shared, "President Obama wouldn’t have said those wonderful things about you, that was all so true. You wouldn’t have been able to open hearts and touch hearts and change people’s minds and make a difference in the world had you not had the courage to do that."