Rachel Maddow Appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show! Rejoice!

Every weekday on the Ellen DeGeneres Show we get to watch Ellen dance, interview Taylor Swift, show funny YouTube videos and occasionally even go head to head with John McCain on Gay Marriage. Every weeknight we get to watch Rachel Maddow go head to head with everyone, win and occasionally even teach us how to make a mean cocktail. Sometimes, life is pretty good to us here in Lezland. While I can’t comprehend why they don’t just have an awesome TV station all to themselves, Ellen did interview Rachel Maddow on her show on Thursday! (Is it just me, or do you also always want to call Rachel Maddow by her full name?)

Rachel talked about the new documentary she appeared in, Miss Representation directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. The documentary interviews teenage girls as well as powerful female figures (Maddow included) to link women’s generally crappy portrayal in the media with their poor representation in positions of power. According to Maddow:

“Recently, media has gotten really specifically hyper sexual about the way that women are treated. Women always sort of portrayed in really hyper sexual and sometimes hyper-violent ways. In a way that I think is something new. Like, the last decade it’s been new. And video games have sort of made it worse, but also it’s just the way our culture represents women right now and how that gives girls tunnel vision about what are okay ways to be.

Then Ellen asked Rachel Maddow about her own experiences with this and Rachel Maddow answers, of course, beautifully and hilariously. I would quote her, but it just sounds better when she says it in response to the silky-smooth sound of Ellen’s questions. Here, watch it! It’ll make your day.

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Lizz

Lizz is a consumer, lover and writer of all things pop culture and the Fashion/Style Editor at Autostraddle.com. She is also full time medical student at Brown University in Providence, RI. You can find her on the twitter, the tumblr or even on the instagram.

Lizz has written 261 articles for us.

51 Comments

  1. I was waiting for this to turn into a self-congratulatory butchfest of hotness, alas. It was still satisfying. A girl can dream. Did they dance together, at least?!

    • “I was waiting for this to turn into a self-congratulatory butchfest of hotness”

      this this this this this.

      I too was still satisfied.

  3. Alpha TV lesbian mashup awesomeness!

    Is it just me, or does Ellen have a teeny bit of a crush on Rachel? I mean, of course she does.

  9. And the part they edited out was where they made sweet sweet love after the interview, right? Because THEN my adolescent fantasies would have come true…

  10. Autostraddle, we need to talk about Miss Representation.
    It’s interesting, it’s well put together, but it’s a little simplistic, but how complex can a documentary be when it has a message to get across, which is empowering and frustrating.
    We should talk…as I have so many feeeeeelings about this.
    But I don’t know when it leaves the “go to a viewing” circuit!
    Help AS!

    • It just premiered last night on the OWN channel which I had no idea meant “Oprah Winfrey Network” until my mom yelped, “OH MY GOD I LOVE THE OPRAH CHANNEL” and then we sat down to watch together and then she fell asleep.

      Anyway, I also want to talk about Miss Representation! I thought the internet would be abuzz with chitterchatter about it today because of last night’s TV premiere, but I have yet to find anything. I have so many feelings too! Let’s talk!

      • I dvr’d it, haven’t had a chance to see it yet, but I’m really looking forward to watching it

    • My pretty conservative mother showed me the preview a week or so back, telling me she’d never realised these things & it’d been emailed to her through her women’s club, so it seems to be gaining a certain amount of publicity & I’m super excited for that! I really want to see it. I hope it’s online somewhere…

    • I finally had a chance to watch it tonight. I loved it, I think it did a brilliant job at getting its point across. The simplicity doesn’t bother me cause with only two hours they didn’t really have a chance to get into the more complex issues and give them a fair shake.

  11. I always get the impression that I KNOW Rachel Maddow. (Personally.) But I’m pretty sure that’s not true.

  12. oh man I have never noticed how similarly they sound before. (is it their accent? are their voices just kind of similar?)

    but I wanted it to last so much longer! they’re both great & they give off such a wonderful positive/familiar vibe.

  14. That show just set a new record for the number of butch(ish) lesbians appearing simultaneously on TV (and not playing in a women’s sporting event).

  15. Rachel Maddow is so yum. Also she’s like the female equivalent of Ira Glass who is my straight boy crush.

  16. I don’t my pants could handle all that hotness especially when Rachel totally went nerdy and did that evil “I’m on the internet saying trollish things” laugh.

    I think I just exploded.

  17. awww this was so wonderful! how could anyone send either of them hate mail and continue on with life as if they’re an okay human being?

  20. Ah, television is so much better when you view only infinitesimal pieces carefully edited by women with similar interests. Thank you for this post, Lizz.

  21. i love it when intelligent, polite, & lovely people get together. #omg

    *are we sure this isn’t the apocalypse*

    #wheredowegofromhere?

  23. Did Rachel just do a Pee-Wee Herman impression? I didn’t think I could love her anymore than I already did.

  24. You know what I find so hot about Rachel M? That she gives off this totally genuine sense of who she is. She’s comfortable and confident in her own skin and exudes such joy and passion in being exactly who she is.

    She’s such an inspiration for all of us!

  25. I wish the interview would of been longer :(

    At the beginning of the show when they where talking about dancing they were kinda flirting a little. Watch the full interview again and listen very carefully especially when they are talking about dancing. And that little thing they did “shake hands, no wait hug, hands, hug” was just the cutes thing EVER!!!!

    Two of my favorite tv show host on one set. No way to describe my happiness :) I’ve watched it like 5milions times.

  29. Pingback: Latest Ellen DeGeneres News | Social Supply Chain Network Blog

  31. So much awesomeness in one interview,,, omg this is what dreams are made of, pure love for the both of them hummy hummy!!!

  32. JEEZ LU WEEZ, nobody said anything about a Portia sandwich yet? What’s wrong with you people?

    Anyway, I came here to second the need for Miss Representation discussion. I mean, I subscribed to motherfucking OWN for it solely, and do not regret it one bit. (Turns out I also now get Sundance and BBC America, party at my house.)

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