Caitlyn Jenner is making her talk show debut, and has plenty to chat about.
The reality star kicks off the 13th season of "Ellen" with a candid interview about family, dating, marriage, and navigating her new position as a landmark figure in the transgender community. She opened up to the Emmy-winning host about her evolving views on social issues, particularly gay marriage, and revealed that she's experienced difficulty aligning her conservative beliefs with the changing landscape.
"I have to admit that I remember 15 years ago, 20 years ago, whenever it was the whole gay marriage issue came up at first, I was not for it," Caitlyn admitted. "I mean, I thought, 'I am a traditionalist.' I’m older than most people in the audience. I mean, I kind of like tradition, it’s always been between a man and a woman and I’m thinking, 'I don’t quite get it.'"
She went on to explain that her perspective changed as she realized she ultimately didn't want to project her personal opinions onto anyone else.
"As time has gone on, I think like a lot of people on this issue, I’ve really changed thinking here to, 'I don’t ever want to stand in front of anybody’s happiness,'" she continued. "That’s not my job. Okay. If that word 'marriage' is really, really that important to you, I can go with it."
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Ellen couldn't help but point out her guest's careful wording, and pressed for a more specific explanation.
"It's funny, because you're still kind of a little not on board with it," the comedian remarked.
"No, I’m on board," Caitlyn clarified. "It’s going to be pretty much the law of the land. So I still feel like, yeah. I’m okay with it. I don’t want to stand in front of somebody’s happiness."
As for her own love life, the former Olympian started off by acknowledging the challenges facing her transgender peers and expressed her empathy.
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"This is, and we deal with it in ['I Am Cait'], a tremendous issue in the trans community. It's a very big issue. So many today transition at a very young age, and the whole dating thing comes in," she said. "Everybody wants to have a partner. Everybody would love to have a family. For trans people, that can sometimes be extraordinarily difficult to do."
At 65, however, Caitlyn explained why her own priorities lie elsewhere. Despite still wanting love as much as anyone else, the star said she's thankful for the opportunity she's had to start a large family and continue watching it grow.
"I'm at such a different place in life. I already have too many children – just kidding, just kidding!" she smiled, "but I have 10 children, I've got my eighth grandchild in the oven with Kimberly [Kardashian]. I have all these wonderful kids. I've kind of passed that stage in my life."
She continued, "Would I like to find a partner to share my life with? Yeah, I'm sure I will at some point. Right now I'm very busy doing a lot of things and just getting used to where I'm at and who I'm at. As time goes on I'll deal with that subject."
Catch Caitlyn's full interview during the season premiere of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
-- Erin Biglow
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