The Ellen Show
Comedian Ellen DeGeneres may well have left her life in the U.S. behind her after relocating to the British countryside, but she still looked back on her time in California with fondness this weekend as she marked her 17th wedding anniversary with wife Portia de Rossi.
DeGeneres, 67, who relocated to the U.K. with de Rossi, 52, at the end of 2024 after learning that Donald Trump had claimed victory in the election, took to Instagram to share a heartwarming video montage taken during their 2008 wedding celebrations, which were held at their Beverly Hills home.
In the clip, which was originally aired on DeGeneres’ now-defunct talk show, the comedian and her spouse are seen preparing the property for their big day, while welcoming family members to their impressive abode.
At one point, DeGeneres introduces her mother-in-law, who lived in Australia, to the camera, noting that they were waiting for her own mother, Betty, and her aunt, Helen, to arrive from Mississippi ahead of the big day.
Though they oversaw many of the decor details for their wedding themselves—with DeGeneres joking at one point that “nobody does a candle” as well as her—they did bring in a team of professional event planners to ensure that the home was looking its very best in time for their ceremony.
(The Ellen Show)
(The Ellen Show)
(The Ellen Show)
The couple bought the sprawling property for $29 million the same year that they tied the knot—although they later bought up several additional plots of land surrounding the home in order to increase the total parcel to 3 acres.
During their ownership of the home, they made a number of renovations, which included the addition of a pool, tennis court, guesthouses, home offices, a meditation room, and gym.
However, for their wedding, the couple held their ceremony on the dwelling’s stunning grounds, hosting their guests for dinner on a covered porch that overlooked the picture-perfect backyard.
The happy couple used a quiet corner of their backyard to do a “first look” with one another, which saw DeGeneres blinking back tears as her soon-to-be wife exited their home in a stunning tulle dress.
“You look beautiful!” DeGeneres exclaims as her partner makes her way out onto the lawn.
At one point, the couple is forced to make a quick dash between photoshoot locations on the grounds of their home after spotting a paparazzi helicopter overhead attempting to get a snap of the happy duo on their wedding day.
Following the ceremony, the couple hosted a sweet dinner for their friends and family at the abode, putting up a long dining table on their covered porch, which they accessorized with billowing white curtains for an ethereal feel.
(The Ellen Show)
(The Ellen Show)
(The Ellen Show)
(The Ellen Show)
DeGeneres posted the heartwarming clip with a sweet message to her wife, writing: “Happy 17th anniversary of the best day of my life. Portia, I love you more everyday.”
But while the home played such a meaningful role in the couple’s romance, they did not hold onto it for very long—opting to put the dwelling on the market for $60 million just three years after they got married.
Sadly, they struggled to find a buyer with blood rich enough to afford that price, and the ask was reduced to $49 million soon after.
Still, they had no alluring offers, until on-air host Ryan Seacrest offered them $37 million in 2012, a price the duo readily accepted.
As it turned out, the home would be one of dozens that the couple would buy and sell over the next 13 years—before they revealed that they were quitting the U.S. altogether in favor of pursuing a new life in the U.K.
While speculation swirled over the reasons for their relocation, DeGeneres kept quiet for months about the move, only confirming in July that it had been prompted by Trump’s victory in the 2024 election.
Initially, DeGeneres explained, they had only been planning to use their British residence temporarily—until, that is, the results of the election were announced.
Speaking to British broadcaster Richard Bacon at an event held near their stunning new Cotswolds property, DeGeneres revealed: “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.'”