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The award honors outstanding achievement in television, and DeGeneres is its second recipient, the first being its namesake.
Ellen DeGeneres will receive the Carol Burnett Award for achievement in television at the Golden Globe Awards in 2020.
"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," said a statement released Monday by Lorenzo Soria, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which bestows the Golden Globes. "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. We look forward to celebrating her achievements at this year's ceremony."
DeGeneres notably came out as gay on the cover of Time in 1997, at the same time her character on the sitcom Ellen, Ellen Morgan, came out. The show then received some criticism for being "too gay" and ended the following year. A second sitcom, The Ellen Show, was short-lived, but DeGeneres has had a huge hit with her syndicated daytime talk show, Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show, now in its 17th season.
The HFPA presented the first Carol Burnett Award to its namesake, the legendary comedian, actress, and variety show host, at the 2019 Golden Globes ceremony. The group introduced the award in recognition that television is producing work that is on a par with theatrical films in terms of quality and influence, Variety notes. It is the TV equivalent of the organization's Cecil B. DeMille Award, which honors achievement in film.
DeGeneres has been nominated for competitive Golden Globes three times. Her talk show has won 63 Daytime Emmy Awards, including a record 11 in the category of Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show. She has been Emmy-nominated for her stand-up comedy specials and has also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
In addition to her talk show and sitcoms, she has acted in several movies, most famously as the voice of a forgetful fish in the animated films Finding Nemo and Finding Dory, and guest-starred on numerous TV series. She has a production company that is behind such shows as Ellen's Game of Games and Green Eggs and Ham, and the new HBO Max service will include several of her productions, Variety reports.
In the realm of activism, besides giving representation to LGBTQ people, she has created the Ellen Fund, which seeks to protect endangered species, and spoken out against bullying in the public service announcement "Be Kind." On her talk show, she has raised more than $95 million for a wide range of causes, according to Variety.
She will receive the Carol Burnett Award at the Golden Globes ceremony January 5. It will air at 5 p.m. Pacific/8 p.m. Eastern on NBC.
