Ellen DeGeneres Gave Fans This Clue That She Was Leaving the US Months Ago

There’s been quite a fuss over Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, packing up their California life and heading to the U.K. The move became permanent after Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election, but the 66-year-old comedian’s exit from the U.S. had been in the works long before Nov. 5.

Fans might have missed the major clue DeGeneres dropped over the summer while prepping for her Netflix special, Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval. At a July stop during her farewell comedy tour, she told the audience, via In Touch Weekly, “This is the last time you’re going to see me. After my Netflix special [debuts in September], I’m done. I’m going bye-bye.” She meant what she said, too. 

In addition to her verbal cue, Realtor.com noted that she was also selling quite a few of her Montecito-area estates. DeGeneres and de Rossi sold the Montecito home that was close to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s property in February for $32 million. They then sold a massive Carpinteria estate for $96 million in August. Now, her final Montecito residence has “been pocket-listed or will be listed soon,” per The Wrap. 

Now, DeGeneres is looking for stability in her new country which is something the U.S. political system isn’t exactly known for. She wasn’t quiet about Donald Trump’s first administration, so it was probably best for her to leave instead of dealing with the constant noise from Washington, D.C. “President Trump, it’s time for an a-ha moment,” DeGeneres said, via The Hill,  in 2018 after he picked a fight with Oprah Winfrey. “You’re not just some guy on Twitter anymore — you’re the president for all of us. It is your job to unite people, and you don’t do it by attacking people, especially Oprah.” 

It appears both DeGeneres and de Rossi have retired from the entertainment industry and are calling the British countryside home. They are in a swanky area of the Cotswolds where they count Elizabeth Hurley, Victoria, and David Beckham, and Kate Moss as neighbors. It’s an A-list neighborhood!

“Ellen loves the laid-back country life. It’s the perfect balance of nature, good people, old-world charm, and a stress-free feeling she doesn’t get in the U.S. anymore,” the In Touch Weekly source noted. “She and Portia also have friends nearby.”

It sounds like the perfect way for DeGeneres to cap off her Hollywood career.

Before you go, click here to see which celebrities own the most homes around the world.