'Everything is better': Ellen DeGeneres confirms UK move post-Trump victory
What's the story
In her first public appearance since moving to the UK, comedian and TV host Ellen DeGeneres has confirmed that Donald Trump's re-election as US President influenced her decision to relocate. Speaking at a live event in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, she disclosed that she and her wife, actor Portia de Rossi, had initially intended to split their time between the US and the UK. However, eventually, they chose England as their permanent home following Trump's victory.
Reaction
'We got here the day before the election...'
DeGeneres, 67, recalled the moment she learned about Trump's re-election. "We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis," she said. "And I was like, 'He got in.' And we're like, 'We're staying here.'" The couple had initially planned to spend three or four months a year in their UK home, but changed their minds after Trump's victory.
Life in the UK
'Everything here is just better': DeGeneres on life in UK
DeGeneres added, "It's clean. Everything here is just better - the way animals are treated, and people are polite. I just love it here." "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."
Advocacy
DeGeneres fears for LGBTQ+ rights in the US
DeGeneres also voiced her fears over the increasing threats to LGBTQ+ rights in the US. She revealed that she and her wife are considering remarrying in the UK if American lawmakers and groups succeed in reversing same-sex marriage rights. "The Baptist Church in America is trying to reverse gay marriage." "They're trying to literally stop it from happening in the future and possibly reverse it."
Industry struggles
Being gay in Hollywood still a problem: DeGeneres
Despite the progress made, DeGeneres emphasized that being openly gay in Hollywood is still a challenge for many. "If it was (better), all these other people that are actors and actresses that I know they're gay, they'd be out, but they're not, because it's still a problem. People are still scared."
Support
DeGeneres defends Rosie O'Donnell after Trump threatens to revoke citizenship
DeGeneres also came to the defense of fellow comedian Rosie O'Donnell after Trump recently threatened to take away her American citizenship. "I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. DeGeneres posted a screenshot of Trump's post with a link to O'Donnell's lengthy response, captioning it, "Good for you." To recall, O'Donnell had written, "You want to revoke my citizenship? Go ahead and try, King Joffrey with a tangerine spray tan."