Ellen DeGeneres Buys $27.4 Montecito Mansion as Rumors Swirl of a Return to U.S.—1 Year After She Relocated to the U.K.

Comedian Ellen DeGeneres has thrown herself back into the U.S. housing market with gusto, snapping up a stunning Montecito mansion for $27.4 million in an off-market deal that closed at the end of November—one year after she and wife Portia de Rossi relocated to the U.K.

DeGeneres, 67, and de Rossi, 52, are understood to have bought the California home from Hollywood producer Brian Grazer, as first reported by Radar Online.

Property records viewed by Realtor.com® show that the couple purchased the property through a trust managed by DeGeneres' longtime business manager, Harley J. Neuman.

That same trust was used when DeGeneres bought a sprawling Carpenteria estate in 2022, which she later sold for a staggering $96 million in August 2024, months before she and de Rossi moved to the Cotswolds in the U.K.

DeGeneres, who has long been recognized as one of Hollywood's most prolific—and successful—property investors, carried on that legacy across the Atlantic, where she has purchased two farmhouses in the short time that she has resided there.

However, her decision to make a new property investment in Montecito, where she and de Rossi had lived for years before moving overseas, will further fuel the speculation that the couple are eyeing a return to the U.S.

Initially, the comedian and her spouse had intended to live in the U.K. for only a few months out of the year. However, they made the move more permanent after learning that President Donald Trump had claimed victory in the 2024 election.

"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 at an event in July. "And we're like, 'We're staying here.'"

She then proceeded to gush about their new life in the U.K.

"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," she said. "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."

However, their move has not been without its difficulties. The property that the duo first moved into was a historical farmhouse that they gut-renovated to turn into a more modern sanctuary.

They would ultimately live in the property for a matter of weeks before snapping up another, much more modern glass-walled abode a few miles away, which DeGeneres later revealed was much better suited to their needs.

“When we decided to live here full time, we knew that Portia couldn’t live without her horses," DeGeneres told the Wall Street Journal. "We needed a home that had a horse facility and pastures for them.”

The couple then put their first property on the market for $30 million—around $10 million more than they had paid for the dwelling.

While that farmhouse remains on the market, it hasn't stopped DeGeneres from making yet another high-priced property investment in the form of a stunning three-bedroom, six-bathroom dwelling in the Santa Barbara enclave.

The estate sits behind high hedges and a gated entrance that leads to a long driveway—ensuring total privacy from prying eyes.

According to a previous listing for the property, it boasts three structures—a massive main residence and two guest cottages—offering a compound that's ideal for those with a fondness for hosting large groups of guests.

The dwelling is set on a 3-acre parcel and was previously purchased by Grazer for $7.6 million in 2012. This means the producer has made quite the profit on the sale of the home—which DeGeneres and de Rossi purchased for nearly four times the price he paid 13 years ago.

However, Grazer is understood to have made multiple updates to the property, including the completion of the primary residence, which was built in 2015.

Because the property was purchased off-market, new listing images were not made available.

It is unclear whether DeGeneres and de Rossi bought the home as an investment property or whether they plan to use the dwelling as their home base in the U.S., having sold off the majority of their other California homes in the wake of their relocation.

Meanwhile, the couple's U.K. farmhouse has been on the market for the past six months.

The listing, which is held by Andrew Barnes and Marcus O'Brien of Sotheby's International Realty, touts the property's many positive attributes, including its "43 acres of rolling Cotswold countryside."

"The main house unfolds around a central landscaped courtyard, a lovely focal point that brings light and flow to the interiors," the description goes on.

"A series of generous reception rooms overlook this space, creating a seamless link between indoors and out. Designed for both grand-scale entertaining and relaxing, the layout combines sharp architectural detail with a contemporary eye for volume, proportion and finish."

In a past listing, the property was described as "an eco-farmhouse with the perfect modern rustic interior." However, one of DeGeneres and de Rossi's listing agents noted that the farm was somewhat "tired" when the couple purchased it.

But that didn't stop DeGeneres from falling in love with the home—reportedly paying around $3.3 million over the asking price to secure the dwelling, then enlisting a team of 70 workers to rush through renovations so it would be ready for her and de Rossi as soon as possible.

The Journal reported that DeGeneres and de Rossi were originally given an 18-month timeline in which contractors believed the renovations could be completed—so they brought in "about 70 workers" who were able to finish the work in about 10 weeks.