Ellen DeGeneres has recently affirmed that the re-election of President Donald Trump prompted her and her wife, Portia de Rossi, to make the United Kingdom their permanent home. Last November, the 67-year-old comedian and former talk show host, alongside de Rossi, relocated from the United States to the serene English countryside. In her first public appearance post-relocation to the picturesque Cotswolds region, DeGeneres validated reports stating that she and her 52-year-old spouse decided to settle across the Atlantic Ocean following Trump's, 79, re-election, according to the BBC.
On Sunday, July 20, during a live chat in the English town of Cheltenham, broadcaster Richard Bacon inquired whether reports were accurate that Trump played a pivotal role in their decision to move. To Bacon's question, DeGeneres responded, "Yes," as reported by the BBC.
Initially, DeGeneres had envisioned spending just a fraction of the year — three or four months — at their "part-time house" in the U.K. She elaborated on this to Bacon at Cheltenham's Everyman theater. However, Trump's re-election altered their plans. DeGeneres recalled, "We arrived the day before the election and awoke to numerous texts from our friends adorned with crying emojis. I knew what that meant — 'He won.' … And we decided, 'We're staying here.'"
During the same appearance, the comedian enthused to Bacon about life in the U.K., as per the BBC. "It's breathtakingly beautiful," she exclaimed, adding that she and de Rossi were "unaccustomed to witnessing such captivating beauty. The villages, towns, and architecture — every glance is enchanting, and it embodies a simpler way of life."
"We moved here in November, which wasn't the most ideal time, but I witnessed snow for the very first time in my life," reminisced the former California native. "We are absolutely in love with it here. Portia flew her horses over, I have chickens, and we even had sheep for about two weeks."
However, their affection for the U.K. extends beyond its natural charm. "Everything here is simply superior — the way animals are treated, people's politeness," DeGeneres stated. "I am utterly enchanted by it here."
Prior to relocating to the English countryside in November, DeGeneres had sold her and de Rossi's California estate for $96 million in August, as revealed by a real estate insider to PEOPLE at the time. A source told PEOPLE that DeGeneres "began house hunting in England in early October" and "eventually found a house she adored and purchased it shortly thereafter."
DeGeneres and de Rossi have shared glimpses of their new life across the pond on social media, but it wasn't until the July 20 appearance that they officially confirmed their reasoning for the move. Although rumors linking their relocation to Trump and his presidency had been circulating online for some time, they even evoked a response from fellow comedian Rosie O'Donnell, who relocated to Dublin in January.
In April, the 63-year-old View alum, who has been vocal about leaving the U.S. due to the current Trump administration, told Us Weekly, "I've never known Ellen to express any political views throughout her life, so I was astounded to read that she left because of President Trump." "Honestly, that shocked me," O'Donnell added.
