Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi have reportedly left the United States for good, putting their Montecito home up for sale and relocating to the U.K., eager to “get the hell” out of America after Donald Trump’s second presidential win.
Multiple reports, notably in The Wrap and TMZ, say that DeGeneres and de Rossi have settled into a new home in the Cotswolds — a region of semi-rural rolling hills and picturesque English villages about two hours southwest of London.
TMZ reported that the couple bought their home in the Cotswolds prior to the election, but Trump’s Nov. 5 victory over Kamala Harris left them “disillusioned” about life in America under an incoming Republican administration. The former daytime talk show host and her actor wife became determined to “get the hell out,” a source told TMZ.
The Wrap also said that Trump’s victory was a “catalyst” for the couple’s move and said they “plan to never return to the United States.” The Wrap added that DeGeneres also is in need of a “fresh start” for her life and her career. The comedian has been open about being “kicked out of show business” in her recent standup show, after she faced reports in 2022 of presiding over toxic workplace behavior at her syndicated “Ellen” show.
US comedian Ellen DeGeneres (L) takes her seat in the royal box on centre court to watch the women’s singles final between US player Serena Williams and Germany’s Angelique Kerber on the thirteenth day of the 2016 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 9, 2016. / AFP / JUSTIN TALLIS / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo credit should read JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
DeGeneres was a vocal supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris and donated $3,300 to her campaign, TMZ reported, though she didn’t do campaign appearances for her like her Montecito neighbors, Oprah Winfrey and Katy Perry, did.
After Joe Biden decided to not seek re-election and designated Harris as his chosen successor on the Democratic ticket, DeGeneres wrote on social media, “There’s nothing more powerful than a woman whose time has come!! I can’t wait for @KamalaHarris to be our next president.”
But just two weeks into Trump’s transition, news has broken that DeGeneres is moving to divest herself of some properties in her extensive Southern California real estate portfolio. Notably, there’s her prime residence, a sprawling Montecito property that she bought in 2019, The Wrap reported.
The Wrap said the estate is being offered off market, though it could be listed more broadly soon. A representative for Riskin Partners, the luxury real estate company DeGeneres retains, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
While the Daily Beast reported that DeGeneres sold a separate Santa Barbara home a few months earlier for a whopping $96 million, The Wrap said it’s not clear what will happen to her other properties.
By moving to the Cotswolds, sometimes known as the “heart of England,” DeGeneres and de Rossi are replicating some of what they had in Montecito — establishing a home in a desirable scenic place about two hours from a major world city.
BOURTON-ON-THE-WATER, UNITED KINGDOM: People walk besides the river as they enjoy the fine weather in the Cotswolds town of Bourton-on-the-Water on April 12, 2011 in Gloucestershire, England. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Like Montecito, the Cotswolds has become a popular destination for celebrities to establish country homes. DeGeneres and de Rossi’s new neighbors in the Cotswolds include such A-listers as David and Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss, Patrick Stewart, Elizabeth Hurley and Stella McCartney, the Daily Mail reported. Kate Winslet also had a mansion in the Cotswolds at one point, though it’s unclear if she still lives there, while Hugh Grant has been rumored for years to have a small hideaway in the area.
As in Montecito, DeGeneres and de Rossi also would be in proximity to British royalty. In Montecito, they lived near Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who moved there in 2020 after leaving royal life. Harry and Meghan also briefly leased a home in the Cotswolds after they married in 2018. But in moving to the Cotswolds, the couple’s new royal neighbor would be at the top of the royal line. King Charles III has long had a country home, Highgrove House, in Gloucestershire, one of the counties included in the Cotswolds.
In DeGeneres’s recent Netflix standup show, “For Your Approval,” she hinted that she might be ready for the more simple, country pleasures that one can find in the Cotswolds. She joked about how she was spending her time at home in Montecito, after ending her daytime talk show in the walk of the toxic workplace scandal.
“I decided to take up gardening,” DeGeneres said. “I got chickens. Let me see what else I can tell you about what’s been going on … Oh yeah, I got kicked out of show business … Yeah, the ‘be kind’ girl wasn’t kind. That was the headline.”
