Another of her homes in the area, listed for $30 million, is still for sale
Ellen DeGeneres
Comedian Ellen DeGeneres has sold one of her last remaining Los Angeles area homes for more than $200,000 over its asking price—just 10 days after listing it.
As exclusively revealed by Realtor.com, the 67-year-old, who relocated to the U.K. with her wife, Portia de Rossi, 52, at the end of 2024, listed the two-bedroom, two-bathroom Montecito, Calif., property for $4.99 million on March 10.
Now, less than two weeks later, the property has sold for $5.2 million, according to records—which indicate that the deal closed on March 20.
The former TV host’s latest real estate sale comes just four months after she and de Rossi quit the U.S., seemingly for good, in favor of relocating to the British countryside, where they are reportedly residing in an $18 million farmhouse in the upscale Cotswolds region.
DeGeneres and de Rossi, although most famous for their on-screen work, have cultivated a lucrative side hustle for themselves as real estate moguls over the last 15 years, buying and selling more than a dozen homes in California, oftentimes for a hefty profit.
However, it appears they are now preparing to sever all remaining ties to the U.S. property market, with their most recently-sold Montecito dwelling appearing on the market less than two months after they listed another nearby home for $29.99 million.
That property, which was designed by renowned architect Richard Neutra, remains on the market.
The home that has just sold is a much smaller—and cheaper—abode, however the duo still managed to net a tidy profit in the sale, having bought the home for $2.9 million back in December 2020.
It was described in its listing as offering the perfect blend of “simplicity” and “sophistication,” with the online description also noting that the primary suite boasted its “own patio, spa-like bath, and generous closet space.”
“A sound fence ensures privacy and serenity, while the spacious backyard offers room for a pool or guest house all within moments of the beach, Coral Casino, and Lower Village,” listing added.
It is the latest indication that DeGeneres and de Rossi are committed to their new life in the U.K., despite multiple reports suggesting that the move has not been without its difficulties.
According to one report from London-based newspaper the Daily Mail, DeGeneres quickly found herself “in peril of getting on the wrong side” of a high-profile member of her new neighborhood after she “committed a ‘technical breach’” during the build of a single-story extension at her new abode in what the outlet described as a “planning clash.”
The former TV host and her wife are understood to have purchased the home back in June, five months before news of their relocation plans were revealed.
However, it now seems their fresh start across the pond may have been dampened somewhat after three local councillors raised concerns that DeGeneres and de Rossi’s extension might “increase flood risk in the village” and “disturb Roman remains.”
DeGeneres and de Rossi are reported to have received several objections from their neighbors who have spoken out against their extension plan.
Despite the protests, a spokesperson for West Oxfordshire Direct Council insisted that the Roman remains sit over 200 yards from DeGeneres and de Rossi’s property and that the work was “completed to a high standard.”
“The works at the property involved a single-story extension and garden landscaping,” the spokesperson told the New York Post. “Although the extension technically breached permitted development rights, it was considered acceptable in planning terms.
“As the works were completed to a high standard with no impact on surrounding amenities or other planning concerns, no further enforcement action was necessary, and the case has been closed.
“Regarding concerns about Roman remains on Akeman Street, the site is more than 200 meters away from the Roman road, and no interference was identified.”
However, their so-called issues are understood to have prompted DeGeneres and de Rossi to set their sights on a new 10,000-square-foot mansion, which they are already said to have “looked at several times.”
A source told the outlet: “Ellen and Portia have had several issues with the place they initially moved into. First there was the flooding, of course, then there was an issue with some locals complaining about some building work carried out at the property.
“So the upshot seems to have been that they started to have a look around and then this property came up. They looked at it several times. And they liked it more each time they looked.
“So it does look like it’s happening. They’ve been seen around there several times in recent weeks and have even had interactions with neighbors.”
Their new property is believed to feature expansive, floor-to-ceiling windows and is a stark change to their traditional farmhouse.
De Rossi is said to have first fallen in love with the home when she spotted it on social media—with sources claiming that she begged her comedian spouse to see it in person.
News of the couple’s relocation was first revealed in November, when it was claimed that their decision to move abroad was cemented by President Donald Trump’s victory in the election, despite the fact that they had purchased their British home months earlier.
