While many celebrities made headlines for criticizing Donald Trump during his presidency, few went as far as Ellen DeGeneres. She now says she’s left the country entirely because of him.
The former daytime talk show host confirmed over the weekend that she and her wife, Portia de Rossi, have relocated permanently to the UK, citing Trump’s return to political relevance as the tipping point.
“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,’” DeGeneres said at a speaking event in Cheltenham. “And we’re like, ‘We’re staying here.’”
A Self-Imposed Exile Over a Democratic Election
DeGeneres, 67, and Portia, 52, now reside in the Cotswolds, where she says they’re embracing a “simpler” lifestyle far from the country that made her a household name and multimillionaire.
“Everything here is just better,” she said of the UK, listing off “polite people,” “clean air,” and “the way animals are treated” as reasons she prefers Britain to America.
While some see their retreat as personal preference, others question why an American celebrity who built her empire through U.S. audiences and networks would openly turn her back on the country, particularly over the outcome of a democratic election.
Warnings, Politics, and Backlash
During the conversation, DeGeneres also criticized movements in the U.S. to review same-sex marriage laws, warning that she and Portia may remarry in the UK if “reversals” occur.
“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.”
While the Supreme Court has not overturned gay marriage and President Trump himself appointed justices who have upheld core LGBTQ+ precedents, Ellen’s comments reflect a broader trend of celebrity fearmongering not always rooted in political reality.
Her recent statements echo a pattern critics say is typical of DeGeneres, choosing dramatic, self-centered narratives even as public trust in her authenticity has plummeted.
Reputation Still Recovering After Talk Show Scandal
DeGeneres’s political statements come after a major fall from grace. In 2020, her namesake talk show became engulfed in scandal after multiple former employees accused the show’s environment of being toxic and abusive. Ellen apologized, but the damage was done.
By 2022, The Ellen DeGeneres Show ended after nearly two decades on air, and she has largely retreated from the public spotlight, until resurfacing with a Netflix special earlier this year.
That special, Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval, was widely panned. It holds a dismal 33% score on Rotten Tomatoes, receiving criticism for its defensive tone and lack of sincerity.
“I have to just trust that whatever happened during that time… happened for a reason,” DeGeneres told The Hollywood Reporter.
Now, with a countryside home, some chickens, and a fresh rainbow Instagram post, DeGeneres is settling into a self-imposed exile — one that she openly admits began the moment Donald Trump reclaimed national attention.
