Ellen DeGeneres has publicly confirmed that her recent move to the UK was directly triggered by Donald Trump’s re-election as U.S. president. In her first public appearance since relocating, the comedian and former talk show host said she and wife Portia de Rossi decided to stay in England after waking up to the election results.
Speaking at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham on Sunday, DeGeneres was asked by broadcaster Richard Bacon if Trump’s return to office influenced their decision to leave. She responded bluntly: “Yes.”
The Emmy-winning host and LGBTQ+ icon described life in the UK as “just better,” adding that she and Portia originally planned to stay only a few months but ultimately decided to remain indefinitely. “We woke up to texts with crying emojis. I said, ‘He got in.’ And we said, ‘We’re staying here,’” DeGeneres recalled.
The couple is now considering renewing their wedding vows in England, a reflection of rising concern about the rollback of LGBTQ+ rights in the United States. “America can still be scary for people to be who they are,” she told the audience, according to the BBC.
DeGeneres, 67, has been a leading figure in American entertainment for over three decades—starring in her own sitcom in the 1990s, hosting the Oscars and Emmys, and famously voicing Dory in Finding Nemo. Her departure from the U.S. comes amid what many see as a broader retreat from progressive values under Trump’s administration.
During his presidency, Trump implemented a series of controversial measures affecting LGBTQ+ rights. These included banning transgender individuals from serving openly in the military, eliminating LGBTQ-focused health grants worth $800 million, and shutting down a suicide prevention hotline specifically for LGBTQ youth. He also signed an executive order defining gender strictly as male or female and barred transgender athletes from women’s sports.
Although Trump once expressed support for domestic partnerships in a 2000 interview with The Advocate, his more recent statements and policies have aligned with conservative views on gender and marriage. After his 2016 election, he told 60 Minutes he was “fine” with same-sex marriage, though that stance has been at odds with the Republican Party platform.
DeGeneres and de Rossi now live in the Cotswolds and are embracing a quieter, rural lifestyle. “It’s beautiful,” Ellen said of their new surroundings. “Everything here is just better—the way animals are treated, the way people treat each other. I just love it here.”
