During the two-decade run of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” its host would end each episode with the line, “Be kind to one another.” That was until the show got cancelled following allegations that DeGeneres created a toxic environment for her employees. Now, she spends her time in English exile complaining that President Donald Trump isn’t nice enough.
We all wish we had a nickel for every celebrity who vowed to leave the country if Donald Trump won the election. And then it happened twice. Ka-ching.
Yet the vast majority of stars, like Cher, never leave. They collectively memory-holed their vow while keeping up a “resistance” posture. Not Ellen DeGeneres. She followed through on the promise to leave. The disgraced talk show host literally left the country at the end of 2024 before Trump took office for greener pastures. Bucolic England, to be more accurate. And she loved her new home:
“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.”
Yes. The comedienne who was bounced from her own show for chronic cruelty is now a big fan of polite behavior, apparently.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Live Nation
President Trump’s reelection weighed heavily in her decision to flee the country. She also worried Trump — who has appointed openly gay men to be key parts of his administration, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and adviser Ric Grenell — would end same-sex marriage in the United States.
That was then. A year and a half of Trump-induced exile was apparently enough. The “Finding Nemo” star is now using some of her American-earned royalties to buy a new home … back in America.
The comic and her longtime squeeze Portia de Rossi just gobbled up a $27 million mansion in Montecito, California. The plan, at the moment, is for the couple to split time between England and the United States. But it appears their return may be temporary.
Imagine having enough money to buy a California mansion with the plan to ditch it in the near future.
Backgrid. NY Post.
One would think a celebrity of her stature might have a debt of gratitude to a country that allows that kind of financial freedom. Perhaps she’ll realize life in the United States, even under a so-called “dictator,” still has its perks.
Maybe not.
It’s also unclear what DeGeneres thinks about the recent crackdowns on free speech on British citizens, including the arrest of comedic colleague Graham Linehan at Heathrow Airport over a social media post about men entering women’s spaces. She’s yet to weigh in on the matter via social media, even though she’s been a stand-up comic for decades, a gig that demands all the free speech room Western culture can offer.
For now, a People magazine source says the duo missed California’s weather and “horse scene.” They’ll hole up back in California while they build a massive horse stable and riding area at the United Kingdom estate.
De Rossi is an animal enthusiast and appears to have put her extensive Hollywood career behind her. The “Arrested Development” co-star’s resume dried up in recent years with no new projects on the horizon.
The same may not be true for DeGeneres.
The comedian delivered a rare stand-up special late in 2024 on Netflix. It was her first attempt at explaining away all the terrible headlines tied to her ugly TV talk show exit on her terms, not any tabloid headlines.
Netflix
No filters. Just DeGeneres and her considerable wit. Except the special didn’t capture the upbeat humor that entertained so many Americans over the years. And, when it came to addressing the elephant on the stage, her toxic behavior, DeGeneres fumbled.
Even Variety, a far-left outlet that might be gracious to any DeGeneres comeback given her legitimate status as an LGBT pioneer, cried foul.
It’s a spectacle of ego that seems at odds with the humble demeanor DeGeneres shows on stage — but then, that divide has lately been part of the whole Ellen experience.
And, it appeared, the special was her way of speaking her mind and bowing out of Hollywood, officially.
Then again, how many artists have promised to hang up their professional hats only to return a short time later? If DeGeneres truly embraced the kindness and beauty of her new British home, why not move to any of the other states in America, where she’ll find plenty of both? Why pick a city that’s less than two hours from Los Angeles, still a major Hollywood hub?
Her recent social media musings prove she’s still plugged in to American news headlines and, more importantly, remains on the same page as her former Hollywood denizens. She recently offered “prayers” to Minneapolis for the self-inflicted chaos engulfing the city over ICE arrests.
Perhaps DeGeneres is taking a page from the playbook of another former talk show host: Rosie O’Donnell. They’re both former comedians who fled the country thanks to President Trump, but neither can leave their old home’s politics behind.
Mike Marsland/Getty Images for Sky & NOW
O’Donnell’s unhinged rants over all things Trump have flowed steadily from her social media accounts despite living full-time in Ireland for the past year. She even questioned whether President Trump’s 2024 assassination attempt actually happened.
And both DeGeneres and O’Donnell played up a sweet, friendly brand that proved to be anything but accurate. O’Donnell’s “Queen of Nice” shtick, along with her crush on Tom Cruise, proved to be pure Hollywood fiction.
And we all know how afraid “Ellen” staffers were to be near their boss behind the scenes.
Perhaps DeGeneres’ self-imposed American exile, along with her speedy return, will end up as stand-up fodder for her next comeback attempt. Turns out even self-exiled Hollywood royalty will eventually return to the kingdom that made her rich.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of HollywoodInToto.com. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at HollywoodInToto.com.
.png)
.png)
