Ellen DeGeneres
TV Host/Comedian
Biography
Comedian, television host, actress, and producer who hosted 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' for 19 seasons. Winner of 33 Daytime Emmy Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Follow-up Statement
"DeGeneres said 'Everything here is just better' about life in England. She expressed concerns about LGBTQ+ rights, saying she and Portia would get married in the UK if gay marriage is reversed in the US: 'The Baptist Church in America is trying to reverse gay marriage... if they do that, we're going to get married here.'"
Departure Details
DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi moved to the Cotswolds, England in November 2024. They arrived the day before the election and decided to stay when Trump won. In July 2025, she confirmed: 'We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, He got in. And we're like, We're staying here.'
Quick Facts
Career Highlights
- Won 33 Daytime Emmy Awards for The Ellen DeGeneres Show
- In 1997, became the first openly gay lead character on American network TV
- Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016
- Voiced Dory in Finding Nemo and Finding Dory
- Won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
- Holds record for most People's Choice Awards won (20)
Did You Know?
She was the first female comedian invited to sit on Johnny Carson's couch during her Tonight Show debut in 1986.
She was the first openly gay person to host the Academy Awards (2007).
She and Portia de Rossi have bought, renovated, and sold dozens of mega-mansions in Southern California.
In 2024, she announced retirement from entertainment, saying she 'got kicked out of show business for being mean.'
Departure Threats Timeline
DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi arrived in the UK the day before the 2024 election. At an event at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, she told broadcaster Richard Bacon: 'We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, He got in. And we're like, We're staying here.'