Ellen DeGeneres says she and wife Portia de Rossi left US for UK after Trump's election

Highlights:

• Ellen DeGeneres confirms Donald Trump’s 2024 re-election pushed her to settle in the UK.
• The former talk show host and Portia de Rossi now live in the Cotswolds.
• Ellen hints they may remarry in England amid threats to LGBTQ+ rights in the US.
• She also addressed past workplace allegations, saying she’s misunderstood as “mean”.

Ellen DeGeneres has revealed that Donald Trump’s re-election in 2024 was the key reason she left the US and moved to the UK permanently with her wife, Portia de Rossi. In her first public appearance since relocating, the 67-year-old comedian spoke candidly about her decision, her new life in the English countryside, and her ongoing concerns about LGBTQ+ rights in the United States.

  Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi left US after Trump win and may remarry in UK amid LGBTQ fearsGetty Images

Why did Ellen DeGeneres move to the UK?

Speaking at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, during a live chat with broadcaster Richard Bacon, DeGeneres confirmed speculation that Trump’s return to the White House triggered her exit from America.

“We got here the day before the election and woke up to texts from friends with crying emojis,” she said. “And I was like, ‘He got in.’ And we’re like, ‘We’re staying here.’”

Originally planning to live part-time in the UK, she and de Rossi made their Cotswolds house a permanent home after the 2024 election results.

  Ellen DeGeneres and actress Portia de Rossi attend The 41st Annual People's Choice Awards Getty Images

What does Ellen think about life in the UK?

Describing her new life in the Cotswolds, DeGeneres was full of praise for the quiet charm of the English countryside.

“It’s absolutely beautiful,” she said. “Everything here is just better. The way animals are treated, the politeness, the simplicity. We even saw snow for the first time.”

Ellen has been sharing glimpses of her rural lifestyle on social media, from caring for chickens to briefly owning runaway sheep. “I love it here,” she added.

Are Ellen and Portia planning to remarry in the UK?

In the same conversation, DeGeneres expressed serious concern over rising anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment in the US, referencing recent moves by religious groups to overturn same-sex marriage rights.

“The Baptist Church is trying to reverse gay marriage,” she said. “They’re trying to literally stop it from happening and possibly undo existing marriages.”

Since settling in the Cotswolds, De Generes says she and Portia de Rossi are already exploring a second wedding in England should same‑sex marriage rights in the U.S. ever face reversal.

  Ellen DeGeneres and actress Portia de Rossi kiss in the audience during the Teen Choice Awards 2015Getty Images

What did Ellen say about the ‘mean’ label and show scandal?

DeGeneres also addressed the fallout from allegations of a toxic workplace on her long-running daytime talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which ended in 2022.

“I was labelled as mean,” she said. “It’s hard to respond to that without sounding like I’m complaining. I’m just a blunt person, does that make me mean?”

While acknowledging the accusations and the show’s turbulent end, she expressed frustration that assertive women are often mischaracterised. “How dare we have a mood or not be sweet all the time?” she added.

   Ellen DeGeneres speaks onstage during the Michelle Obama: The Light We Carry Tour Getty Images

What’s next for Ellen DeGeneres?

Though she misses parts of her old show, DeGeneres admitted that TV has changed, and she isn’t sure what her next move will be.

“I’d love to do something again, maybe even here,” she said, hinting at a possible British talk show. “But I want to choose wisely. I do love my chickens, but I’m a little bit bored.”