Ellen DeGeneres Goes Shopping For New Montecito Mansion After Leaving The US Due to Trump's Re-election

A striking contradiction has emerged in the carefully curated public image of comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who found herself at the centre of controversy on Friday when she was photographed touring multimillion-pound properties in California's exclusive Montecito enclave — on the very day she urged her followers to participate in a nationwide economic shutdown.

The 68-year-old former talk show host, who relocated to the English countryside following Donald Trump's 2024 re-election, was captured viewing a jaw-dropping $35 million (£27 million) beachfront estate, complete with tennis court, guest house and 77 feet of pristine coastline. Property listings describe the five-bedroom residence as 'extraordinarily luxe and laid back', with an intelligent design ensuring dramatic ocean views from nearly every room.​

Photographs obtained by media outlets show DeGeneres dressed casually in a white T-shirt and blue jeans, sipping from a Fiji water bottle as she examined a room adorned with butterfly decals. She also viewed a more 'modest' $17 million property in the affluent neighbourhood, accompanied by her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, and their recently adopted puppy, Jinx, who frolicked on the beach after the property tours.

The 'Ice Out' Protest Hypocrisy

The timing of DeGeneres's house-hunting expedition proved particularly awkward. Just two days earlier, on Jan. 28, she had shared a flyer on Instagram calling for a 'nationwide shutdown' under the banner 'Ice Out Everywhere', urging Americans to observe 'no work, no school, no shopping' on Jan. 30 in solidarity with protesters in Minneapolis. 'Minnesotans need our help,' DeGeneres wrote in her caption. 'Let's show them they're not in this alone.'

The demonstration was organised in response to escalating tensions surrounding US Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota, particularly following the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents during immigration enforcement activities. The incidents sparked nationwide protests, with organisers estimating that tens of thousands participated in what became the first general strike in the United States in 80 years.​

DeGeneres had been particularly vocal about the Minneapolis situation, posting a video in which she described the city as the 'happiest in America' and expressed pride in peaceful protesters. 'I am so sorry for what is happening in Minneapolis and our country, really, but specifically Minneapolis right now,' she said. 'So my thoughts and my prayers are going out to everyone. And I'm proud of everyone who's protesting peacefully, and I am sorry for anyone who has been hurt just for protesting, for doing what you should be doing.'

While it remains unclear whether DeGeneres completed any transactions on Friday, her decision to tour luxury properties during a protest she had publicly endorsed drew swift criticism on social media, with some labelling the move hypocritical.

Montecito Mansion: A Return to California?

The house-hunting expedition has fuelled speculation that DeGeneres and de Rossi may be reconsidering their self-imposed exile from the United States. The couple purchased a $27.4 million Montecito estate in an off-market deal that closed in late November 2025 — just one year after they departed for the Cotswolds following Trump's election victory.

The three-acre compound, previously owned by Oscar-winning producer Brian Grazer, was acquired through a trust managed by DeGeneres's longtime business manager, Harley J. Neuman. Grazer had purchased the property in 2012 for $7.6 million, meaning DeGeneres paid nearly four times that amount for the residence, which features a primary home and two guest cottages. Should DeGeneres proceed with purchasing either of the properties she toured on Friday, it would mark her third Montecito acquisition in recent months, suggesting her plans to permanently abandon America may be shifting.​

Last year, DeGeneres and de Rossi relocated to England's picturesque Cotswolds region, where they purchased not one but two lavish farmhouses. Speaking at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham in July 2025, DeGeneres confirmed publicly for the first time that Trump's election was the catalyst for their move. 'We got here the day before the election and woke up to a lot of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, "He got in." And we're like, "We're staying here,"' she told the audience.

At the time, DeGeneres gushed about her new life in rural England: 'Everything here is just better — the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here.' However, recent social media posts suggest the couple have been spending considerable time back in California. DeGeneres celebrated her 68th birthday on Jan. 26 in what appeared to be their new Montecito mansion, judging by the sun-soaked backdrop — a stark contrast to the grey, rainy weather battering the Cotswolds at the time.​

Property Empire and Real Estate Fortune

DeGeneres has earned a reputation as one of Hollywood's most prolific property investors, with an estimated $190 million in profits from buying, renovating and flipping luxury homes over the past two decades. She and de Rossi have purchased and sold at least 34 properties since the mid-2000s, with some held for years and others flipped within months.

Their most lucrative transaction came in August 2024, when they sold a Tuscan-style cliffside estate in Carpinteria for a staggering $96 million — just months before their move to the UK. Other notable sales include an $18.6 million Carpinteria home purchased in 2017 and sold for $23 million in 2019, and a $21 million Spanish-style Montecito mansion sold to talent manager Scooter Braun for $36 million after just six months of ownership in 2022.

Famous buyers of 'Ellen houses' include Ariana Grande, Will Ferrell, Ryan Seacrest and the late Heath Ledger, with estate agents noting that DeGeneres's involvement in a property adds cachet and value. 'Once somebody knows it's her house or she had a hand in it, it adds value,' said Rayni Williams of Beverly Hills Estates. 'In LA, she is synonymous with quality.'

The couple's business manager, Harley Neuman, has suggested the actual number of properties they've bought and sold is closer to 50, with the real profit figure somewhat lower after accounting for extensive renovations.​ DeGeneres has attributed her passion for property to her childhood circumstances.

'We never had a house when I was growing up,' she told Architectural Digest in 2011. 'We rented. My father had a dream. We used to drive by houses all the time and he'd pick which bedroom would be mine. We'd get all excited.'