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Ellen DeGeneres has finnaly opened up on the reason she left the U.S for Good. She and her wife Portia de Rossi were already spending time in the UK. They had planned a short stay in the Cotswolds, known for quiet villages and rolling green fields. But that all changed the night of the 2024 election.
"We got here the day before the election," Ellen told an audience in Cheltenham. "I woke up to crying emojis. I said, 'He got in,' and we just went, we're staying here." It wasn't a joke. Ellen says she's done with the U.S. She calls life in England "simpler," "cleaner," and "calmer." She loves the way animals are treated, how people speak more softly, how nobody yells at store clerks. She says it feels like a reset.
She also admits that she's scared, not just for herself, but for other LGBTQ Americans. "There are religious groups working to reverse same-sex marriage," she said. "It's shocking, and terrifying. If they do it, we'll just get married again here." She didn't hold back. "I wish we lived in a world where people were kind. Where they let others be who they are," she said. "But it's not like that. Not in the U.S. right now."
She's not alone. Rosie O'Donnell also fled the country, blasting Trump in a fiery Instagram post. "You tried to silence me, strip my rights. I teach my kids to question power," she wrote. Ellen replied: "Good for you, Rosie." The trend isn't just for celebrities. A Talker poll from 2024 showed that 17% of Americans plan to leave the country in the next five years. The top reasons? Fear, division, and the rollback of rights.
Ellen says she feels safer in the UK. Happier. Quieter. She walks dogs. She eats toast. "Everything here is just better," she said. One thing is clear, she's not looking back.
