Ellen DeGeneres confirms she moved to UK because of Donald Trump: 'He got in, we're staying here'
CHELTENHAM, UNITED KINGDOM: Ellen DeGeneres has officially made the UK her permanent home, confirming the move during a Sunday, July 20 appearance in Cheltenham.
The 67-year-old comedian and her wife, Portia de Rossi, originally planned to split their time between the US and the English countryside. However, after President Donald Trump’s reelection last November, they decided to relocate to the UK full-time.
Ellen DeGeneres opens up about her move to the UK
Ellen DeGeneres opened up about her recent life transformation during a candid on-stage conversation with broadcaster Richard Bacon at the Everyman Theatre on Sunday.
Speaking to a packed audience, the comedian recalled the moment she and her wife, de Rossi, landed in the UK. “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.' And we're like, 'We're staying here,'" DeGeneres shared.
She also revealed that she and de Rossi, whom she married in 2008, are now considering renewing their vows in the UK, especially in light of ongoing political efforts in the US to roll back marriage equality.
Expressing her deep appreciation for her new home, DeGeneres said, “It's absolutely beautiful. We're just not used to seeing this kind of beauty. The villages and the towns and the architecture — everything you see is charming and it's just a simpler way of life. It's clean. Everything here is just better — the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here.”
Reflecting on their move last November, she added with a smile, “We moved here in November, which was not the ideal time, but I saw snow for the first time in my life. We love it here. Portia flew her horses here, and I have chickens, and we had sheep for about two weeks."
Ellen DeGeneres voices concern over future of same-sex marriage in the US
During the conversation, Ellen DeGeneres also addressed growing concerns over the future of same-sex marriage in the US.
She expressed, "The Baptist Church in America is trying to reverse gay marriage. They're trying to literally stop it from happening in the future and possibly reverse it. Portia and I are already looking into it, and if they do that, we're going to get married here."
The comedian voiced her disappointment with the current social climate in the US, adding, “I wish we were at a place where it was not scary for people to be who they are. I wish that we lived in a society where everybody could accept other people and their differences. So until we're there, I think there's a hard place to say we have huge progress."
Despite the serious topics discussed, DeGeneres continues to share glimpses of her peaceful new life in the Cotswolds on social media, often posting scenes from the countryside that highlight her and de Rossi's slower, more grounded lifestyle.
