Degeneres Inspired Lynch To 'Come Out'

The TV star, who married her partner Lara Embry in May (10), spent years hiding the truth about her preferences and was terrified of her secret becoming public.

But when DeGeneres came out after appearing on the cover of Time magazine in 1997, Lynch felt it was time to do the same.

She tells DeGeneres, "I used to lay in bed and go, 'How will I come out or will I come out?'

"You were at the height of your fame and you came out. And that just blazed a trail for me. It really did. It made it so much easier for me, what you did."

Lynch also admits she found coming out easier because she isn't an A-list Hollywood star: "It's because I'm a character actor, I think. If Julia Roberts were gay, I think it would be harder. She's an ingenue."