Ellen DeGeneres, once a staple of daytime television and a symbol of kindness in entertainment, appears to be closing the curtain on her time in the United States.
Following Donald Trump’s return to the White House after the 2024 presidential election, DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, have reportedly relocated abroad, purchasing a home in rural England. The move caps a tumultuous chapter in DeGeneres’s career, marked by scandal, reinvention, and a reexamination of fame and identity.
DeGeneres’s fall from grace began with allegations of a toxic workplace culture on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Claims of mistreatment, along with allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior by senior producers, led to an internal investigation and ultimately to the end of the show in 2021 after 19 successful seasons.
While DeGeneres addressed the controversy, acknowledging that some staffers experienced less-than-ideal conditions, she maintained that the negative portrayal of her character was exaggerated.
“I am many things, but I am not mean,” she told audiences during her “Ellen’s Last Stand … Up” tour, where she candidly reflected on her career. Known for her catchphrase “Be kind to one another,” DeGeneres quipped during her Netflix special, Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval, that the contradiction between her public persona and the allegations became tabloid fodder: “The ‘be kind’ girl wasn’t kind — that was the headline. Had I ended my show by saying, ‘Go f— yourselves,’ people would’ve been pleasantly surprised to find out I’m kind.”
DeGeneres’s departure from Hollywood seemed inevitable as she distanced herself from show business. During her stand-up tour, she shared her plans to step away from the spotlight after her Netflix special. She humorously told audiences, “Next time, I’ll be kicked out for being old. Old, gay, and mean — the triple crown.”
The couple’s recent real estate moves suggest a firm decision to start anew. After selling their Montecito, California, estate in August, DeGeneres and de Rossi reportedly house-hunted in England, ultimately settling on a rural property.
A vocal supporter of progressive causes, DeGeneres publicly endorsed Kamala Harris during her presidential campaign and expressed disappointment in Trump’s political resurgence.
Her biting wit surfaced again on social media, where she referenced J.D. Vance’s controversial comments about childless women, humorously aligning herself with Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Harris: “This childless cat lady couldn’t agree more.”
