Why Did Ellen DeGeneres Leave Hollywood? Inside Her New Life in the U.K.

Ellen DeGeneres has been keeping a low profile in recent years.

After facing “toxic” workplace accusations in 2020, the famed host ended The Ellen DeGeneres Show in May 2022.

However, DeGeneres briefly returned to the public eye when she took the stage for her “Ellen’s Last Stand…Up” tour in 2024. In the set, which was filmed and later released on Netflix as Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval, DeGeneres poked fun at her life after the accusations rocked her career.

“Let me catch you up on what’s been going on with me since you last saw me,” DeGeneres joked. “I got chickens. Oh yeah, and I got kicked out of show business for being mean.”

Despite putting a funny twist on the controversy, she later admitted that she “had a hard time” with the scandal. “I’m making jokes about what happened to me, but it was devastating,” she told Los Angeles audience members in April 2024. “It took a long time for me to want to do anything again.”

Shortly after she wrapped up her comedy tour, DeGeneres moved to the English countryside with her wife, Portia de Rossi. DeGeneres later confirmed to the BBC that she permanently moved in November 2024 as a result of President Donald Trump getting re-elected.

So, where is Ellen DeGeneres now? Here’s everything to know about what Ellen DeGeneres has been up to since stepping away from Hollywood.

What was Ellen DeGeneres accused of?

In July 2020, DeGeneres was accused of creating an unhealthy and “toxic work environment” on her show. The accusations were made by anonymous former and current staffers of hers in a report published by BuzzFeed News.

Claims included being penalized for taking medical leave, instances of racial microaggressions and fear of retribution for raising complaints. In the July 16 report, the ex-employees claimed that DeGeneres’ “be kind” attitude was “all for show.” 

Executive producers Ed Glavin, Andy Lassner and Mary Connelly said in a statement at the time that they take full responsibility for daily operations on the show. “It’s not who we are and not who we strive to be, and not the mission Ellen has set for us,” they said in part.

After the BuzzFeed report, it was announced that The Ellen DeGeneres Show was under internal review by WarnerMedia.

DeGeneres also sent a lengthy memo to the staff, saying in part that she is “glad the issues at our show were brought to my attention” and that they are “taking steps … to correct” them.

On July 30, BuzzFeed published a second report, this time revealing that former employees of The Ellen DeGeneres Show had anonymously alleged sexual misconduct and harassment involving top producers at the show.

The former staff, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, leveled allegations about the culture behind the scenes of the show, including against head writer Kevin Leman and executive producer Glavin.

In the days that followed, several celebrities spoke out in support of DeGeneres, including the comedian’s wife, de Rossi, and Katy Perry. Others, like the show’s former DJ Tony Okungbowa, stood in support of his colleagues.

On Aug. 17, DeGeneres made a second apology to staffers after three top producers — Glavin, Leman and Jonathan Norman — parted ways with the show after an internal investigation by WarnerMedia, a Warner Bros. spokesperson to PEOPLE.

Leman and Norman have denied the allegations against them, while Glavin has not publicly addressed them. At the time, Variety reported that producers Lassner, Connelly and Derek Westervelt would continue with the show.

Why did The Ellen DeGeneres Show end?

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ended with season 19, airing its final episode in May 2022. DeGeneres welcomed back her first-ever guest Jennifer Aniston to close out the show, in addition to guests like Pink and Billie Eilish.

DeGeneres first announced that her eponymous talk show — which debuted in 2003 and earned 64 Daytime Emmys over the years — would come to an end in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on May 12, 2021.

“When you’re a creative person, you constantly need to be challenged — and as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it’s just not a challenge anymore,” DeGeneres told THR. She further discussed her decision to end the show during an episode of Today and with Oprah Winfrey.

Anchor Savannah Guthrie spoke with the TV personality about the news of the show’s end. “Did you feel like you were being canceled?” asked Guthrie following allegations of workplace toxicity.

“I really didn’t understand it; I still don’t understand it,” DeGeneres replied in part. “It was too orchestrated; it was too coordinated.”

As for whether she was leaving due to the controversy, the talk show host said, “If that was why I was quitting, I would’ve not come back this year. I really did think about not coming back because it was devastating.” She continued, “I am a kind person… I am a person who likes to make people happy.”

Is Ellen DeGeneres still doing stand-up comedy?

DeGeneres, who got her start in stand-up comedy, returned to her roots for the first time in 15 years with the release of her Netflix special Relatable in December 2018.

In February 2024, she teased her return to stand-up when she took the stage at the Largo in Los Angeles to perform a surprise set in Beth Stelling’s “Beth & Pals” show. She posted a video on Instagram that previewed her routine.

In an April 2024 stand-up set at the Largo, DeGeneres looked back at her talk show with a sense of humor and joked about getting “kicked out of show business” for being “mean” in reference to the July 2020 BuzzFeed News report.

After musing about how she became the “most hated person in America” amid the swirling headlines, DeGeneres said that “the hate went on for a long time.” The comedian explained, “I would try to avoid looking at the news … The ‘be kind’ girl wasn’t kind. That was the headline,” she added in part.

In May 2024, it was announced DeGeneres would embark on the “Ellen’s Last Stand… Up” tour consisting of 27 shows. Less than one month after its start in June, she canceled several show dates between July and August, per Ticketmaster.

Has Ellen DeGeneres said anything about the allegations?

DeGeneres has opened up about the “toxic work environment” allegations in interviews, Q&As and routines since the claims were published by BuzzFeed News in July 2020.

“I used to say, ‘I don’t care what people say about me,’ ” she said at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa, according to SFGate. “Now I realize I said that during the height of my popularity.”

She went on to joke: “Next time, I’ll be kicked out for being old. Old, gay and mean, the triple crown.”

The outlet reported DeGeneres also addressed what could have prompted the accusations about her. “I can be demanding and impatient and tough,” she explained. “I am a strong woman. I am many things, but I am not mean.”

In her 2024 Netflix special, DeGeneres pointed out double standards for how men and women should act.

“We have all these unwritten rules based on gender of acceptable behavior, of who we’re allowed to be, and how we’re allowed to act,” she said in the special. “And if we don’t follow those rules, it makes people uncomfortable. And when people get uncomfortable, there are consequences. For those of you keeping score, this is the second time I’ve been kicked out of show business.”

Where is Ellen DeGeneres now?

During the Q&A portion of DeGeneres’ July 1 stand-up routine on tour, she was asked about whether she would return to fame in the future now that she has had time to reflect on her mistakes.

DeGeneres gave a hard “no,” per SFGate. The comedian added, “This is the last time you’re going to see me. After my Netflix special, I’m done.”

The special debuted on Sept. 24, 2024, and ended with DeGeneres’ musings on what it was like to spend “an entire lifetime trying to make people happy.”

“I’ve cared far too much what other people think of me, so the thought of anyone thinking that I’m mean was devastating to me, and it consumed me for a long time. But with time, you gain perspective … with perspective, you realize that caring what people think to a degree is healthy, but not if it affects your mental health,” she said.

In July 2025, DeGeneres shared a rare update and revealed that she and de Rossi had permanently moved to the United Kingdom. DeGeneres explained to the BBC that they were planning on temporarily living in the English countryside, but they changed their plans after Trump was re-elected.

She added that they initially thought they would only get a “part-time house,” but they “got here the day before the election.” DeGeneres recalled how she “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.’ ”

“It’s absolutely beautiful,” DeGeneres said of the countryside, while adding that she and de Rossi are “just not used to seeing this kind of beauty. The villages and the towns and the architecture — everything you see is charming and it’s just a simpler way of life.”

She continued saying, “We love it here. Portia flew her horses here, and I have chickens, and we had sheep for about two weeks. Everything here is just better — the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here.”