Talk show icon unloads $30m UK estate after fleeing U.S. Over Trump’s shock re-election

Ellen DeGeneres is packing her bags once again—this time leaving behind the sprawling British countryside estate she once called a sanctuary from American politics.

Less than a year after fleeing the United States, the former talk show host and her wife, actor Portia de Rossi, have put their luxurious Cotswolds property on the market for a staggering $30 million. The decision to sell comes shortly after DeGeneres publicly confirmed that the couple relocated to England to escape Donald Trump’s shock return to the White House.

“We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis,” DeGeneres said during an appearance in Cheltenham with broadcaster Richard Bacon. “I was like, ‘He got in.’ And we’re like, ‘We’re staying here.’”

The couple had purchased the historic Kitesbridge Farm in early 2024 for $20 million, intending it to be a part-time refuge. But after Trump’s re-election, it quickly became their full-time base. The estate—set across 43 acres in the heart of the English countryside—features seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and an array of high-end amenities, including a heated five-car garage, fitness centre, guest house, and a pub-style party barn.

DeGeneres, 67, and de Rossi, 52, wasted no time transforming the property. According to U.K. Sotheby’s International Realty, the couple brought in 70 workers and completed what was expected to be an 18-month renovation in under five. The home’s sleek design includes 16,600 square feet of modern living space connected by glass walkways, set against the backdrop of traditional 18th-century architecture.

But now, less than a year after settling in, the pair are ready to move again—this time, for their animals.

“When we decided to live here full time, we knew that Portia couldn’t live without her horses,” DeGeneres said in a statement via Sotheby’s. “We needed a home that had a horse facility and pastures for them.”

The abrupt sale has raised eyebrows, not least because of the massive $10 million price hike. Yet for those familiar with the couple’s real estate history, it’s hardly surprising. DeGeneres and de Rossi are well known for flipping high-end properties, having previously cycled through multiple estates across California.

Still, the timing of the listing—just days after DeGeneres confirmed her political motivations for leaving the U.S.—has drawn renewed attention to the couple’s abrupt exodus. DeGeneres had remained relatively quiet about the move until her recent appearance in Cheltenham, where she spoke warmly of life in Britain.

“We’re just not used to seeing this kind of beauty,” she said. “The villages and the towns and the architecture – everything you see is charming, and it’s just a simpler way of life. It’s clean. Everything here is just better – the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here.”

Since her talk show ended in 2022 following a scandal over a toxic workplace environment, DeGeneres has largely stepped away from the public eye. Her last major public venture was a farewell comedy tour across the U.S., which wrapped up in August 2022.

That final curtain seemingly paved the way for a quieter, more rural existence. But with the couple now eyeing yet another home—this time with proper stables for de Rossi’s beloved horses—the rural calm they found in the Cotswolds appears short-lived.

For now, the grand estate that once symbolised a political and personal escape is back on the market—an opulent casualty of changing plans and the persistent pull of lifestyle priorities.