Ellen DeGeneres receives Carol Burnett Award at 2020 Golden Globes
The television host and comedian is the second recipient of the award.
Ellen DeGeneres was honored with the Carol Burnett Award at the 77th Golden Globe Awards Sunday night in Beverly Hills, California.
DeGeneres took home the honor in its second year -- after Burnett herself was given the lifetime achievement award last year.
The accolade is designed to recognize "an honoree who has made outstanding contributions to the television medium on or off the screen," according to the organization.
During DeGeneres’ acceptance speech at the Globes, she spoke about her gratitude for the award and the great influence of Burnett.
"I feel like we all think we know someone -- there's a connection when we watch someone on TV for as long as we are on TV, and that's what it was like with me with Carol Burnett," she said.
"I felt like I knew her, I felt like she showed us who she was every week," she continued. "She was larger than life -- we counted on her to make us feel good and she delivered, every single week, she never let us down."
She also spoke about the great influence her time on the screen has had on her life.
"Television inspired and influenced everything that I am today -- Lucille Ball, Mary Tyler Moore, Marlo Thomas, Dick Van Dyke ... There's a little bit of all of them in me. ... All I've ever wanted to do is make people feel good and laugh and there is no greater feeling than when someone tells me that I've made their day better with my show."
"The real power of television for me is not that people watch my show, but people watch my show and then they're inspired to go out and do the same thing in their own lives -- they make people laugh or be kind or help someone that's less fortunate than themselves," DeGeneres shared.
She also mentioned those affected by the wildfire devastation in Australia, her wife Portia de Rossi's native country.
"Australia I love you, my heart goes out to everyone who is suffering in Australia, all the animals that we've lost," she said.
"SNL" star Kate McKinnon, who introduced the award to DeGeneres, spoke about the comedian's bravery in coming out and being authentically herself.
"In 1997, when Ellen’s sitcom was at the height of its popularity, I was in my mother’s basement lifting weights in front of the mirror and thinking, ‘Am I … gay?’ And I was," McKinnon said.
"And I still am. But that’s a very scary thing to suddenly know about yourself. It’s sort of like doing 23 and Me and discovering that you have alien DNA. And the only thing that made it less scary was seeing Ellen on TV."
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