If you thought Ellen DeGeneres was just going to fade into the background of a quiet English village, you haven’t been paying attention to her real estate portfolio. Or her restlessness. Honestly, the latest news Ellen DeGeneres has been making lately feels like a classic case of “the grass isn’t always greener,” even if that grass is in the literal Cotswolds.
Last year, the narrative was pretty cut and dry. Ellen and her wife, Portia de Rossi, packed up their life in Montecito and headed across the pond to the UK. It was framed as a permanent escape. A retirement. A response to the 2024 election results that left them feeling like the US wasn't the place they wanted to be anymore. They bought a massive estate, settled into the rolling hills of Oxfordshire, and Ellen started posting videos of herself riding a lawnmower. It looked like the end of a very long, very loud Hollywood chapter.
But now, things are shifting. Fast.
The $27 Million Question in Montecito
Just a few days ago, news broke that Ellen snapped up a $27.4 million mansion back in Santa Barbara. This isn't just a casual investment; it's an off-market deal for a property previously owned by Hollywood heavyweight Brian Grazer. It makes you wonder: why buy a massive, high-maintenance estate in the very town you supposedly fled if you aren't planning on spending some serious time there?
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People close to the situation—the kind of "insiders" who always seem to have a quote ready for the tabloids—are suggesting that the quiet life in England is starting to feel a little too quiet. It turns out that when you’ve spent decades being the center of the entertainment universe, the transition to "chickens and snow" is harder than it looks on Instagram.
Basically, the latest news Ellen DeGeneres is generating suggests she’s homesick. Or maybe just bored.
Did Hollywood Actually Kick Her Out?
In her final Netflix special, For Your Approval, which dropped in late 2024, Ellen didn't hold back. She joked—with a pretty sharp edge—that she’d been “kicked out of show business” for being mean. It was her way of acknowledging the toxic workplace scandal that effectively tanked her talk show's reputation and ended its 19-season run in 2022.
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The special was polarizing. Some fans loved seeing her back in her stand-up roots, while critics called it a "self-pitying" defense of her behavior. She admitted the whole experience was devastating. "I'm a direct person," she explained to an audience in England recently. "I'm blunt. But I guess that made people think I was mean."
Whether she was truly canceled or just reached the natural end of a cycle is still up for debate. But the reality is that the public’s "Kindness Queen" image was shattered, and that’s a hard thing to fix from a farmhouse 5,000 miles away.
The UK Life: Snow, Horses, and Tensions
The move to England wasn't just a political statement. It was a lifestyle reset. Portia flew her horses over. They had sheep for a few weeks (though those didn't seem to last). They even hung out with Robbie Williams at local pubs. On paper, it’s the dream retirement.
However, rumors have been swirling throughout late 2025 and into early 2026 that the transition hasn't been seamless. While Portia reportedly loves the privacy and the slower pace, Ellen is rumored to miss the "royal treatment" and the fast-moving energy of Los Angeles. There’s a lot of chatter about her trying to orchestrate a comeback—not necessarily as a talk show host, but as a producer. One theory floating around is that she wants to turn Portia into a "celebrity chef sensation" to get their foot back in the Hollywood door without Ellen having to be the public face of everything.
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Why This Matters for the Fans
If you've followed Ellen since the 90s, you know she doesn't do "staying still" very well. She’s a pioneer. She’s a survivor.
- The Real Estate Game: She’s one of the most successful house-flippers in celebrity history. Buying this new Montecito home might just be a business move, but the timing is suspicious.
- The "Mean" Label: She’s clearly still hurt by it. She talks about it constantly. You don't keep talking about something if you're truly "done" with that world.
- Animal Advocacy: One thing that hasn't changed is her commitment to animals. Her move to the UK was partly inspired by how well animals are treated there. If she does return to the US, expect her to ramp up her work with her Gorilla Fund and various shelters.
What’s Next for the DeGeneres-de Rossi Duo?
Look, nobody actually knows if they’re moving back for good or if this is just a very expensive "vacation home." But the pattern is clear. The UK was a sanctuary when the heat in the US got too high. Now that the dust has settled on her Netflix special and the initial shock of the election has worn off, the pull of California seems to be winning.
She’s 67 now. She’s wealthy beyond belief. She doesn't need to work another day in her life. But the latest news Ellen DeGeneres is involved in shows a woman who isn't quite ready to disappear into the English fog.
If you’re looking for actionable takeaways from the current Ellen saga, keep an eye on the property listings in Montecito. When she starts selling the UK farmhouses, that’s when you’ll know the "permanent" move was just a temporary breather. For now, the best way to stay updated is to follow her niche brand accounts and animal welfare updates, as those tend to be more authentic than the glossy PR statements.
The next step is simple: watch the Santa Barbara real estate filings. If she starts hiring staff for that $27 million mansion, the Cotswolds chapter is effectively over.