Ellen DeGeneres Admits Donald Trump’s Election Win Was Behind Her Permanent Move to England: ‘Everything Here Is Just Better’

Comedian Ellen DeGeneres has confirmed that her decision to quit the U.S. and relocate permanently to the U.K. was prompted by President Donald Trump‘s reelection—revealing that she and wife Portia de Rossi had initially been planning to keep only a “part-time” home in the country before the election results were revealed.

DeGeneres, 63, revealed during a conversation with broadcaster Richard Bacon that she and de Rossi, 52, arrived in England the day before the election with the aim of spending three or four months at the $18 million farmhouse they had already purchased in the British countryside.

However, the results of the election—in which Trump claimed victory over Democrat Kamala Harris—made them rethink their plans.

As reported by the BBC, when Bacon asked DeGeneres if her move was prompted by Trump’s reelection, the comedian and former TV host responded: Yes.

“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,'” she explained. “And we’re like, ‘We’re staying here.'”

The appearance on July 20 at the Everyman theatre in Cheltenham, not far from where she and de Rossi are now living, marks the first time that the comedian has spoken out about the real reasons for their trans-Atlantic relocation.

When it was first revealed that the couple had moved back in November, both DeGeneres and de Rossi remained quiet about their motivations—but seemingly confirmed the news when they began sharing images and videos of their new life on social media.

Speaking to Bacon, DeGeneres further elaborated on their day-to-day life in the U.K., gushing about how much “better” everything is in their new home country.

“It’s absolutely beautiful,” the star said. They 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.”

Noting that making a move during the winter months was less than “ideal,” DeGeneres confirmed that she and de Rossi are now fully committed to life in the U.K., and have even moved their animals to join them at their new dwelling.

“We moved here in November, which was not the ideal time, but I saw snow for the first time in my life. We love it here. Portia flew her horses here, and I have chickens, and we had sheep for about two weeks,” she went on.

“Everything here is just better—the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here.”

The confession comes after the couple shared a rare glimpse inside their $18 million retreat in the British countryside—while revealing that they were sharing the space with some fuzzy new friends: their “house sheep.”

DeGeneres shared a video of the moment a flock of sheep strolled into their living room and proceeded to make themselves very comfortable, even climbing onto the furniture.

“We have house sheep,” she wrote across the funny video.

The glimpse inside her property came after renovations on the property caused a bit of a “clash” with their neighbors.

However, the pair’s new home gave them a chance to pursue one of their favorite hobbies: renovating homes.

“It’s a chance to relive the greatest moments of their marriage,” an unnamed source told In Touch of the impact the project has had on the couple. “Picking out linens and flooring and faucets, doing renovations, working with architects and decorators.

“This is the stuff that they live for, not being famous or pleasing audiences.”

DeGeneres and de Rossi, although more famous for their on-screen work, have cultivated a lucrative side hustle as real estate moguls. Over the past 15 years, they’ve bought and sold more than a dozen homes in California, often for a hefty profit.

In 2011, DeGeneres and de Rossi opened up about their burgeoning real estate empire in an interview with Architectural Digest. In it, they joked about how the comedian’s homebuying habits had quickly spiraled after she snapped up her first home.

DeGeneres’ first home was a Spanish bungalow in West Hollywood, CA, which she fixed up and then sold.

During that process, she told AD, she realized if she could “make some improvements,” she could make a profit.

The couple haven’t been shy about showing off their life in the U.K., having previously taken to social media to reveal that they were soaking up every ounce of moving bliss they could.

The former TV show host took to Instagram to show off a stunning photo of de Rossi in front of a double rainbow that appeared above their Cotswolds estate, which is about two hours from London.

The flick gave fans a glimpse of the couple’s lush landscaping and stone-paved pathway.

“3 things that make me happy, my Wife. A Rainbow. And my wife taking a photograph of a Rainbow,” DeGeneres wrote in the caption.

Fans gushed over DeGeneres and de Rossi’s love for each other.

“Nothing tops this, love, light, and a rainbow,” wrote one fan. Another added, “Aw how lovely, I hope you are settling into the U.K.”

The TV personality previously sold one of her last Los Angeles–area homes for more than $200,000 over its asking price—just 10 days after listing it.

The two-bedroom, two-bathroom Montecito, CA, property was sold for $4.99 million on March 10.