Ellen DeGeneres buys $27M California mansion 14 months after Trump-fueled UK move: Report

MONTECITO, CALIFORNIA: Ellen DeGeneres has reportedly dropped $27 million on a luxury California mansion, even as she continues to insist she has not permanently returned to the United States after moving to the UK following Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

According to a People report published recently, the former talk show host purchased the Montecito property roughly 14 months after she publicly linked her move abroad to Trump’s election. 

“She’s not moving back to the US but will continue to split her time between both the UK and Montecito,” an insider told the outlet.

Ellen DeGeneres’ UK move followed Trump’s election win

DeGeneres previously confirmed that Trump’s victory played a direct role in her decision to leave the US. In June 2024, she and her wife, Portia de Rossi, purchased a $14 million farmhouse in the Cotswolds, roughly 100 miles northwest of London.

Speaking at Cheltenham’s Everyman Theatre in July 2025, DeGeneres recalled arriving in the UK just before Election Day.

“We got here the day before the election,” she said. “And woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, ‘He got in.’ … And we’re like, ‘We’re staying here.’”

At the time, DeGeneres described life in England as “absolutely beautiful.”

She later moved out of the farmhouse and into a nearby glass-walled mansion to better accommodate de Rossi’s horses.

Montecito purchase tied to lifestyle, not relocation

Despite her public stance, sources told People that practical reasons - not politics - may have driven the new California purchase. A real estate insider said the couple had been “missing the California weather and horse scene” since relocating overseas.

“Portia loves polo and her horses,” the source added.

DeGeneres was reportedly spotted house-hunting in Montecito late last month - on the same day she was expected to take part in a “no work, no school, no shopping” protest related to ICE activity.

Meanwhile, locals in the Cotswolds told People they had not seen DeGeneres “in ages,” with one claiming she hadn’t visited a local pub in several months. Another source disputed that account, saying the comedian had been frequently spotted in the village during the summer.

Real estate, activism, and staying politically vocal

DeGeneres is well known for flipping high-end properties and has long treated real estate as both a passion and investment.

She reportedly attempted to sell her original UK farmhouse for $30 million, though the listing struggled. Daily Mail later reported the property was close to selling after she cut several million from the asking price.

While splitting her time between countries, DeGeneres has remained publicly engaged in political and social issues. Last month, she addressed the ICE surge in Minneapolis, offering a public apology in a video message.

“I just wanted to say I am so sorry for what is happening in Minneapolis and our country, really, but specifically Minneapolis right now,” she said. “Because it’s where I shot my last stand-up special, and everybody there couldn’t have been more lovely.”