The episode was written by series star Ellen DeGeneres with Mark Driscoll, Tracy Newman, Dava Savel and Jonathan Stark and directed by Gil Junger.

With DeGeneres hinting at her and her character's coming out both off-screen and within the show, the rumors were confirmed when the episode went into production in March 1997.

Despite threats from advertisers and religious groups, "The Puppy Episode" enjoyed enormous success, won multiple awards and became a cultural phenomenon.

A message from Richard that he is leaving town ahead of schedule sends Ellen rushing to the airport to see Susan.

Ellen tells Susan that she was right and comes out as gay, inadvertently broadcasting her announcement over the airport's public address system.

Disney boss Michael Eisner suggested that since the character showed no inclination toward dating, she should get a puppy.

[2] It was this suggestion that gave writer Jonathan Stark the idea to give that working title to the episode, and it stuck.

[3] In the summer of 1996 DeGeneres and the show's other writers opened negotiations with ABC and its parent company, Disney, to have Ellen Morgan come out during season four.

Word of the secret negotiations leaked in September of that year, sparking a storm of speculation as to whether the character, the actress, or both would come out.

[3] The LGBT media watchdog group Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) launched a "Let Ellen Out!"

"[5] Once final approval from Disney was secured, ABC announced on March 3, 1997, that Ellen Morgan would be coming out.

[8] Some within the entertainment industry assumed that the coming out was simply a ratings stunt, to which DeGeneres responded, "I did it selfishly for myself and because I thought it was a great thing for the show, which desperately needed a point of view.

[8] DeGeneres finally officially came out in Time magazine, with an April 14, 1997, cover emblazoned with the words, "Yep, I'm Gay".

[10] Ellen also appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show with then-girlfriend Anne Heche on the scheduled broadcast date of "The Puppy Episode".

[13] Director Junger recalled the time when actress DeGeneres "would burst into tears" while rehearsing every time the scene where her character Ellen Morgan comes out to Susan at the airport, which Junger considered "emotionally the most difficult scene to rehearse".

[14] "The Puppy Episode" and DeGeneres's attendant coming out generated enormous publicity before the show aired.

[16] Despite these losses of potential advertisers, ABC turned away ads from two LGBT-oriented sponsors, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and lesbian vacation company Olivia Cruises.

[19] Local LGBT organization Pride Birmingham arranged for a satellite feed of the episode and rented a 5,000-seat theatre for a viewing party, with about 1,000 people attending.

[20] Local activists circulated a petition requesting that Abilene, Texas-area affiliate KTXS-TV not air the episode but were unsuccessful.

[3] Show character Ellen Morgan's coming out has been described as "the most hyped, anticipated, and possibly influential gay moment on television".

[25][26] In the United Kingdom, "The Puppy Episode" also drew a huge positive reaction and high ratings for Channel 4, the network which carried Ellen.

[28] DeGeneres strongly criticized ABC for including the warnings, saying in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, "It was like this voice like you're entering some kind of radiation center.

In a 2007 interview for DeGeneres's talk show commemorating the tenth anniversary of "The Puppy Episode," Dern stated that she did not work for a year and a half because of playing Susan.

I think it helped a lot of people, and still to this day I hear about parents and children being able to have an honest conversation through watching that show.