Ellen DeGeneres was seen in the United States a mere few months after moving to the English countryside and declaring she would never come back following Donald Trump‘s election victory.
Despite her and wife Portia de Rossi‘s reported decision to begin anew in the UK last November, the former TV host, 66, seemingly couldn’t resist returning to her hometown of Montecito, California, as shown in new exclusive photos published by The Daily Mail. Last week, paparazzi captured photos of DeGeneres in her former neighborhood as she stopped by Casa Dorinda, a prestigious retirement community.
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Ellen DeGeneres Returns to California After Reportedly 'Leaving the US for Good' and Moving to the UK
It's unclear whom the Ellen Show star was visiting at the residence, but the outlet suggested that it could be her wife de Rossi's mother, Margaret Rogers, who might have relocated to the retirement home after selling her Westlake Village townhouse in 2020.
The Arrested Development actress, 51, did not accompany DeGeneres. The couple relocated to the UK ("leaving the US for good," as noted by The Daily Mail) towards the end of last year, yet it is clear they maintain connections to the US, particularly in Montecito. They are currently said to be residing in the Cotswolds, a countryside area in Southwest England. DeGeneres has struggled to restore her image since her fall from grace in 2021.
Accusations of fostering a harmful workplace from her staff led to the cancellation of her show and her retreat from public life. In an effort to return to the entertainment scene, she launched a Netflix comedy special titled For Your Approval in September 2024, but it was a complete failure.
DeGeneres and de Rossi surprised fans with their unexpected relocation to the UK. The couple apparently departed at the close of 2024 following Trump's re-election as President and DeGeneres' retirement from the public eye.
Nonetheless, sources close to the comedian and Ally McBeal alum insist that their decision was unrelated to these events, and was entirely about their relationship.
As one source recently dished to InTouch Weekly: “Ellen’s decision to move to England is baffling if you just look at it as a reaction to the election or the shifting culture in the U.S., but it makes perfect sense when you look at the arc of her relationship with Portia.”
Ellen DeGeneres And Portia de Rossi Relocated To Europe Amid Reports Their Marriage Is 'In Terrible Shape'
They went on to say that “getting out of Southern California only increases the incredible control Ellen has had over Portia for years, and Ellen clearly had a reason to want to increase that level of control.” DeGeneres and de Rossi tied the knot in 2008 with a small wedding party. Their love story began in 2004 when they crossed paths at a party, and it didn't take long for them to start dating.
They became engaged in 2007 and exchanged vows the next year. In August, they celebrated their 16-year wedding anniversary. According to another source close to the couple, it's incredibly strange that they were both ready to sell their Montecito home and relocate to another country.
They told the outlet: “What’s utterly bizarre about all this is that they’re both willing to sell their Montecito estate, which they’ve both put thousands of hours into and which was the major collaborative creative project of their marriage.”
The friend of the duo went on: “There has to be a real darkness at work in the relationship for them to give up on that home and move somewhere else, especially at a time when Portia is still very viable as an actress.” The tipster continued: “I don’t see this new arrangement working out in the long term and it looks a lot more like a last resort than a fresh start.” Earlier last year, insiders also told the publication that the marriage between them was “in terrible shape.” '
To make matters worse, DeGeneres also had her failed Netflix special. “Ellen being home all the time has taken a toll on their marriage. And Portia isn’t working much either. They’re always in each other’s face, and frankly, they’re getting on each other’s nerves,” they noted to InTouch.
The tipsters added: “Now Portia probably wishes she hadn’t. She doesn’t have her space. Every time she turns around, there’s Ellen… Ellen has lost so much in recent years — it would be terrible if she lost Portia, too.” In addition, several insiders also reported that they were recently moving forward, but it seemed that the unsuccessful Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval special from September 2024 set them back again.
