After making a big deal last year about living outside the United States while Donald Trump served his second term in the White House Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi are plotting a return to California.
And no, it’s not because of reports that Trump might be losing some of his autocratic grip on power, but because the couple reportedly dread the thought of spending another winter in the United Kingdom, according to the Mail On Sunday.
They bought a home in England, just prior to the 2024 election, and vowed to stay after Kamala Harris lost to Trump. “Ellen was adamant that she and Portia were going to stay in the U.K. while Trump was in the White House, but evidently she’s changed her mind somewhat,” a source told the Mail On Sunday.
“She’s been telling friends they are coming home soon because they miss them and can’t take the winters over there,” the source said.
“Ellen was very clear that they’re coming back to California sooner rather than later,” the source added. “They miss the warm weather and their friends.”
In the U.K., De Generes and de Rossi have been living in the Cotswolds, a region west of London that’s known for its gently rolling hills, picturesque villages and growing population of celebrities, politicians and other rich and powerful people.
DeGeneres and de Rossi originally purchased a 43-acre farm in the Cotswolds last fall and put their mansion in Montecito up for sale. They subsequently sold the farm in July for $29 million, the Mail on Sunday reported. But it’s not that surprising that they didn’t stay in one place too long; DeGeneres and de Rossi became known for owning a revolving door of luxe properties in the Santa Barbara area before moving to th U.K.
In the Cotswolds, the couple soon re-established themselves in a hilltop estate. It reportedly had plenty of land to keep horses; De Rossi is said to be a keen rider.
In July, DeGeneres confirmed that they moved to the U.K. because of Trump’s election, The Guardian reported. In a conversation with British broadcaster Richard Bacon at a local theater, the comedian said: “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.’”
A source likewise told the Hollywood industry publication The Wrap that the move was “permanent” and that DeGeneres and de Rossi were “never coming back.” DeGeneres told Bacon that their new home was “beautiful.” She raved: “It’s clean. Everything here is just better – the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here.”
DeGeneres also expressed concern about the erosion of LGBTQ rights in the United States under Trump’s leadership while explaining that she felt she no longer needed to live in America because her long-running talk show had ended and she had wound up her “final” national comedy tour. But The Wrap also said that DeGeneres was in need of a fresh start” for her life and her career. In her standup show, she was open about being “kicked out of show business,” after she faced reports in 2022 of presiding over toxic workplace behavior at her talk show.
But now it appears that the U.K. hasn’t quite provided the fresh start that she and de Rossi hoped. The Mail on Sunday also reported that de Rossi was eager to revive her TV acting career.
The report that DeGeneres and de Rossi were fleeing the U.K. because they can’t deal with the winter weather has generated a fair amount of snark from British columnists, who point out that the winters in England aren’t necessarily any worse that any place else — except perhaps for Southern California.
“I know, bless, poor little Hollywood millionaires, are their tootsies getting cold in their Fendi wellies?” wrote Kevin Maher, a columnist for The Times. “Are their self-care saunas not working? Or has their heating bill just arrived? It’s risible, obviously.”
The Guardian’s Arwa Mahdawi wrote that it would have been easy for DeGeneres to declare in July that “Everything here is just better.”
“It’s easy to be upbeat during a British summer, when all is green and pleasant,” Mahdawi said. “Now that the winter gloom has set in, however, rumor has it that the fairweather Brits are plotting a return to Trumpland.”
While Mahdawi said it’s understandable that DeGeneres and de Rossi would get homesick for their friends and for California’s sunny weather, “you lose a bit of street cred if you flee creeping fascism only to run straight back to it because you’re not used to being a bit chilly.”
“As my mother would say: just put on another jumper, Ellen!” Mahdawi said, mentioning the British term for “sweater.” Mahdawi also said: “Abandon your weird American ideas about how the sky ought to be blue.”