Ellen DeGeneres has finally shared why she left the U.S. behind—and now, she’s planning to settle down for good in the UK with her wife, Portia de Rossi.
During a relaxed sit-down interview at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham this past weekend, Ellen DeGeneres opened up about why she left the United States behind.
The 67-year-old comedian and former talk show host spoke honestly about her reasons in a chat with Richard Bacon that gave fans a glimpse into her current life.
DeGeneres shared that she and Portia had touched down in the UK right before the 2024 election.
When they found out Donald Trump had won again, the decision to stay was almost instant.
“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,’” she recalled.
“And we’re like, ‘We’re staying here.’”
“It’s absolutely beautiful. We’re just not used to seeing this kind of beauty. The villages and the towns and the architecture, everything you see is charming and it’s just a simpler way of life.” she told The Guardian during the chat.
She also shared more details with BBC News, adding: “It’s clean. Everything here is just better, the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here. We moved here in November, which was not the ideal time, but I saw snow for the first time in my life. We love it here. Portia flew her horses here, and I have chickens, and we had sheep for about two weeks.”
ouching on more serious matters, DeGeneres brought up concerns about growing threats to same-sex marriage rights in the United States. She expressed worry over how groups like the Baptist Church are actively working to undo the progress that’s been made.
“They’re trying to literally stop it from happening in the future and possibly reverse it.” she explained. “Portia and I are already looking into it, and if they do that, we’re going to get married here in the UK.”
Speaking to MailOnline about how difficult it still is for many LGBTQ+ people to live freely, she added: “I wish we were at a place where it was not scary for people to be who they are. I wish that we lived in a society where everybody could accept other people and their differences. So until we’re there, I think there’s a hard place to say we have huge progress.”
After her long-running daytime show wrapped up in 2022 amid claims of a toxic work culture, Ellen made a comeback with a 2024 Netflix stand-up special titled For Your Approval. Unfortunately, it didn’t land well and drew mostly negative reviews.
Looking back on the controversy, Ellen reflected on the experience in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, saying: “It was obviously very, very difficult… I think that I learned a lot… It was eye-opening, but I just trust that that had to happen.”
