Ellen DeGeneres Says She Permanently Moved to the U.K. Because of Donald Trump: ‘Everything Here Is Just Better’

Ellen DeGeneres says she and wife Portia de Rossi decided to permanently relocate to England after President Donald Trump was re-elected — a move she now describes as life-changing.

In her first public remarks since settling in the U.K., the former talk show host, 67, revealed that she initially intended to split time between the U.S. and a part-time home in the English countryside. But after Trump’s 2024 victory, she and de Rossi chose to stay full-time.

Speaking at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham on Sunday, July 20, DeGeneres confirmed to British broadcaster Richard Bacon that Trump’s re-election was a deciding factor in their move.

“We got here the day before the election,” DeGeneres recalled. “And woke up to texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, ‘He got in.’ So we just said, ‘We’re staying.’”

The couple officially relocated to the Cotswolds in November 2024, shortly after selling their California estate for $96 million, a real estate source told PEOPLE.

DeGeneres spoke glowingly about her new life abroad. “It’s absolutely beautiful,” she said. “The villages, the architecture — everything is charming. It’s a simpler way of life.”

Portia, 52, brought her horses along for the move. DeGeneres now keeps chickens — and briefly had sheep. “We moved here in November, which wasn’t ideal weather-wise,” she added, “but I saw snow for the first time in my life.”

Beyond the scenery, DeGeneres praised the culture. “Everything here is just better — the way animals are treated, how polite people are. I just love it here.”

Though rumors had circulated for months that politics played a role in their departure, DeGeneres had not publicly confirmed the reason until now. Her announcement echoes that of fellow comedian Rosie O’Donnell, who moved to Dublin earlier this year and had previously commented that she was “surprised” to hear DeGeneres had made a political decision.

“I’ve never really known Ellen to say anything political in her life, so I was shocked,” O’Donnell told Us Weekly in April.

While DeGeneres has shared glimpses of her countryside life on social media, this was her first time openly discussing the move’s motivation. And she made it clear: the decision wasn’t just about scenery — it was about a shift in values.

“We planned to be here three or four months a year,” she said. “But after that election, it just became home.”