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8. Ellen DeGeneres

DeGeneres came out publicly on an episode of Oprah in 1997, then wrote her coming out into the script of her sitcom The Ellen Show, before appearing on the cover of Time with the words, "Yep, I’m Gay," plastered next to her face. The backlash from this blitz was considerable, though: following a very public breakup with then-partner Anne Heche, DeGeneres was out of work for three years and "mired in depression."

In her own words: "Now, I feel completely comfortable with myself, and I don't have to be fearful about something damaging my career if it gets out, because now I'm in control of it — sort of." — to Time

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