US television icon Ellen DeGeneres has made her first public appearance in the UK since relocating to the Cotswolds, revealing that she and wife Portia de Rossi decided to stay permanently the day after Donald Trump was re-elected as US president.
Speaking at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham on Sunday in conversation with broadcaster Richard Bacon, the 67-year-old said the decision to move was deeply personal and political.
“We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis,” DeGeneres recalled.
“I was like, ‘He got in’, and we said, ‘We’re staying here.’”
Ellen said the couple originally planned to split their time between the US and the UK but have since embraced full-time life in the countryside, calling it “a simpler, more beautiful way of life.”
‘It’s just better here’
DeGeneres is known globally for The Ellen DeGeneres Show and for voicing Dory in Finding Nemo.
“Everything here is just better – the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here,” she said.
“We saw snow for the first time in our lives.”
The couple briefly kept sheep on their rural property, but they had to be rehomed after repeated escapes. De Rossi also relocated her horses to the UK.
Concerns over LGBTQ+ rights in the US
DeGeneres also spoke candidly about rising fears over LGBTQ+ rights in the United States, confirming she and De Rossi are considering renewing their vows in the UK if same-sex marriage rights are reversed.
“The Baptist Church in America is trying to reverse gay marriage,” she said.
“If they do that, we’re going to get married here.”
She expressed concern that Hollywood still remains hostile to openly gay actors, adding: “If things were better, all these actors I know who are gay would be out – but they’re not, because it’s still a problem.”
Addressing her talk show controversy
DeGeneres also revisited the toxic workplace allegations that led to the cancellation of her long-running talk show in 2022.
“I’m a direct person, and I’m very blunt, and I guess sometimes that means that… I’m mean?” she said, dismissing much of the criticism as “clickbait.”
The scandal resulted in the firing of three senior producers and an on-air apology from DeGeneres. She said the controversy left her deeply hurt.
“It’s certainly an unpleasant way to end something I loved. I hate that people think I’m that [mean], because I know who I am – and I’m empathetic and compassionate.”
Would she return to television?
While Ellen said she misses her talk show “a lot”, she’s uncertain whether a similar format would work in the current media climate.
“I would love to do that again, maybe in the UK,” she said.
“But people are just not watching TV the same way anymore.”
As for the future, Ellen says she’s undecided but open to new projects.
“I do like my chickens… but I’m a little bit bored,” she joked.
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