Ellen DeGeneres Says Donald Trump Is The Reason She Permanently Moved to England: ‘Everything Here Is Just Better’
When Ellen DeGeneres stepped away from the spotlight after the final season of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, many fans expected the comedian to live out her retirement quietly at her California mansion, surrounded by rescue animals and her wife, Portia de Rossi. But few could have predicted that Ellen would not only relocate from the limelight—but also from the country.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Ellen shocked fans when she revealed she had permanently moved to England, citing former U.S. President Donald Trump as the catalyst.
“I never imagined I’d leave America,” Ellen began, sipping a cup of tea from her countryside home in the Cotswolds, a quaint English village known for its rolling green hills and cobblestone paths. “But something in me changed. And honestly, Trump had a lot to do with it.”
A Shift in Perspective
The decision didn’t come overnight, she said. Like many Americans, Ellen watched in disbelief as political polarization intensified during Trump’s presidency. “It wasn’t just the policies,” she clarified. “It was the energy. The division. The anger. It seeped into every part of daily life. Suddenly, comedy didn’t feel light anymore. It felt like a battlefield.”
Ellen said that even after Trump left office, his influence lingered in the public discourse. “You turn on the news and it’s all yelling. Fear. Scandal. There’s this unrelenting pressure to pick sides. I needed peace.”
In 2022, she and Portia visited England for what was meant to be a short sabbatical. But that trip turned into something more profound. “We stayed in this tiny cottage in Oxfordshire for three weeks,” Ellen recalled. “And I felt something I hadn’t in years—calm.”
Finding Joy in Simplicity
Ellen’s new life couldn’t be more different from her Hollywood past. Gone are the red carpets and paparazzi. Instead, her days now begin with walking her dogs along forest trails and browsing produce at the local farmers’ market. “I’ve traded paparazzi for pheasants,” she joked.
But beyond the quiet, Ellen says there’s a deeper sense of cultural ease in England. “People here argue about soccer teams and scone recipes. There’s political discourse, of course, but it doesn’t consume everything. Life still feels human here.”
What shocked many fans was Ellen’s candidness about the culture shock in reverse. “In L.A., I felt like I had to prove I was okay all the time. Here, if I say I’m feeling off, people don’t flinch. They put the kettle on.”
Trump and the Breaking Point
Though Ellen has never shied away from political commentary, she admits that she felt particularly disillusioned during Trump’s administration. “When he mocked people with disabilities, that hit hard,” she said, referencing the now-infamous moment from a 2015 rally. “That was a moment where I truly thought, ‘If this is where our leadership is, maybe we’re in real trouble.’”
She says the tipping point came in late 2020, when she was recovering from COVID-19 while watching the U.S. Capitol riot unfold on television. “I was sitting in bed, exhausted and sick, and watching people storm the Capitol with Confederate flags. I thought, ‘This isn’t my country anymore—not the one I grew up loving.’”
By early 2021, Ellen began researching homes in the UK.
A New Chapter
Settling in England wasn’t just a political move—it was personal, too. After nearly two decades in the public eye, and more recently, criticism about the workplace culture behind The Ellen Show, she said she craved reinvention.
“There was a lot said about me in the press,” she acknowledged. “Some fair, some not. But I needed to stop being ‘Ellen the brand’ and just be Ellen the person.”
She describes England as “the perfect place to get boring,” something she now embraces with open arms. “We have a vegetable patch. I joined a local pottery group. Sometimes I go a whole day without checking my phone.”
And she’s not done creating. Though she insists she’s retired from daytime television for good, she recently wrote a children’s book inspired by her new life in the English countryside, featuring a fox who wants to become a stand-up comic.
“I’m not done being creative,” she said. “But I want to create from a place of peace now—not pressure.”
Mixed Reactions
As expected, Ellen’s comments sparked reactions across social media. Supporters praised her honesty and applauded her for seeking a healthier life. “Ellen has always brought joy to people—she deserves to find her own,” one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Others, particularly Trump supporters, accused her of being unpatriotic. “If you don’t love America, leave it,” one post read—something Ellen clearly anticipated.
“I didn’t leave because I hate America,” she responded in the interview. “I left because I love myself enough to know I needed something different. I needed air. I needed space. And yes, I needed a break from Trump’s America.”
A Message for Fans
To her fans, Ellen has one message: “It’s okay to change your life if it no longer fits who you are. For me, this meant a new country. For someone else, it might mean quitting a job, ending a toxic relationship, or just getting a houseplant. Don’t let fear keep you stuck.”
As the interview wrapped, Ellen looked out across the green hills from her kitchen window. “I still believe in kindness,” she said softly. “Just… maybe more from afar now.”
And with that, Ellen DeGeneres smiled—not the polished, made-for-TV grin the world had come to know, but a quiet, content one.
“England may have tea and rainy skies,” she said, “but right now, it has my peace. And that’s everything.”
