What's Inside?
- Ellen DeGeneres confirms U.K. relocation due to Trump’s re-election and growing threats to same-sex marriage rights in America.
- The couple chose England’s Cotswolds for its beauty, simplicity, and the more respectful treatment of animals and LGBTQ+ individuals.
- Ellen addresses her talk show’s end, calling allegations painful, and defends her blunt nature against claims of being “mean.”
Ellen DeGeneres has confirmed she and wife Portia de Rossi are now full-time residents of the United Kingdom. What began as a temporary getaway transformed into a permanent relocation, triggered by the re-election of President Donald Trump. During a recent public appearance in Cheltenham, DeGeneres candidly opened up about their decision, her concern for LGBTQ+ rights in the U.S., and the lingering controversy from her talk show’s final chapter.
“Everything here is just better”: Ellen DeGeneres Opens Up About Her Permanent Move to the U.K.
In a discussion with broadcaster Richard Bacon at the Everyman Theatre, DeGeneres recalled the moment everything changed. She and Portia had arrived in the U.K. the day before the election. “We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, ‘He got in.’ And we’re like, ‘We’re staying here,’” she shared.
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Initially, the couple had purchased a home in the picturesque Cotswolds for part-time stays. But the results of the U.S. election reshaped their plans. Portia flew over her horses, Ellen brought in chickens, and both quickly found comfort in the countryside charm. “It’s absolutely beautiful,” Ellen said of the region. “We’re just not used to seeing this kind of beauty… Everything here is just better — the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here.” (Via PEOPLE)
Beyond the aesthetic appeal, their move had deeper meaning. Ellen pointed to growing anxieties over LGBTQ+ rights in the United States, especially after the Southern Baptist Convention’s calls to overturn the Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage. “The Baptist Church in America is trying to reverse gay marriage,” she said. “They’re trying to literally stop it from happening in the future and possibly reverse it. Portia and I are already looking into it, and if they do that, we’re going to get married here.”
Her remarks echoed broader concerns about the direction of civil rights in the U.S. “I wish we were at a place where it was not scary for people to be who they are,” she said. “So until we’re there, I think there’s a hard place to say we have huge progress.”
Addressing Controversy: Ellen Speaks on Toxic Workplace Allegations
DeGeneres also addressed the difficult ending of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which concluded in 2022 after 19 seasons. The decision followed widespread allegations of a toxic work environment, prompting Warner Bros. to launch an internal investigation that led to the removal of several top producers.
In her conversation, Ellen confronted how she was portrayed during the scandal. “No matter what, any article that came up, it was like, ‘She’s mean,’ and it’s like, how do I deal with this without sounding like a victim or ‘poor me’ or complaining?” she reflected. “It’s as simple as, I’m a direct person, and I’m very blunt, and I guess sometimes that means that … I’m mean?”
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DeGeneres expressed frustration over how being assertive is often unfairly weaponized against women. “How dare us have any kind of mood, or you can’t be anything other than nice and sweet and kind and submissive and complacent,” she said. Despite the pain, she acknowledged the reputational hit may never fully fade. “I hate that people think that I’m that because I know who I am and I know that I’m an empathetic, compassionate person.”
As she closes one chapter of her life and starts anew in England, Ellen’s journey is now more personal than ever, rooted in identity, love, and the courage to walk away when a place no longer feels like home.
