In November of last year, we reported that the comedian Ellen DeGeneres had fled America. She then moved across the world to the United Kingdom. DeGeneres has since been laying low in England with her actress wife Portia de Rossi of Arrested Development fame.
Unfortunately for DeGeneres, however, it appears that this move has now backfired on her in a big way. Indeed, insiders are claiming that de Rossi “feels suffocated” in their new home. There, the actress reportedly believes that DeGeneres is “micromanaging” her life.
de Rossi ‘Wants To Break Out’
“Portia loves Ellen dearly, but she feels totally suffocated much of the time. Every aspect of her life is constantly micromanaged,” an insider told Radar Online. “If she wants to go for a horse ride, a jog, even a trip to the shops, it’ll be met with a dozen questions. And Ellen hates going anywhere by herself, so Portia’s always on the hook to be by her side.”
Those close to DeGeneres, 67, have always known that she’s a bit of a control freak. Now that de Rossi, 52, is in a new country alone with DeGeneres, she feels like all of the negative aspects of the comedian’s controlling nature are falling on her.
“Ellen is extremely protective of Portia,” the insider explained. “It’s sweet to a certain extent. But it can also make things very difficult. Portia wants to break out and do her own thing and she’s constantly suppressed.”
“Portia is at a point now where she’s putting her foot down and insisting Ellen give her breathing room,” the source continued. “She can’t go on like this and is seriously considering some time apart to clear her head and get her life back.”
DeGeneres and de Rossi have been married for 17 years. According to the insider, however, their relationship has deteriorated in England to the point where de Rossi may leave if DeGeneres doesn’t soon change her ways.
“If Ellen doesn’t back off and listen it may well just drive Portia out the door permanently,” the source concluded.
DeGeneres’ Reputation Plummets In America
DeGeneres reportedly moved to England in search of a fresh start. This came after years of seeing her reputation in the United States plummet in the wake of her infamous toxic workplace scandal.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show ran from 2003 until 2022. For much of that time, DeGeneres was known as the “queen of nice.” She even ended each one of her shows by urging her audience to “be kind to one another.”
That all changed in 2020, when DeGeneres’ toxic workplace scandal broke. It was then that she was accused of presiding over a talk show set that was full of racism, sexism, and bullying. DeGeneres herself was accused of telling her own staffers not to make eye contact with her on set.
In the years since her talk show came to an end, DeGeneres has complained that she was “kicked out of show business” for being “mean.”
“The hate went on for a long time. And I would try to avoid looking at the news,” DeGeneres claimed last year. “The ‘be kind’ girl wasn’t kind. That was the headline.”
This played a major role in DeGeneres and de Rossi making their move to England at the end of 2024.
“Ellen really felt she had made her mark on the industry. But that was diminished when she was canceled over her alleged treatment of her staff,” a source told Daily Mail. “Then to have celebrities call her out one by one was so hurtful.”
DeGeneres ‘Is Ready To Leave Everyone’
The insider went on to say that “all the ill will towards” DeGeneres in America partly led to her decision to leave the country.
“She has the one person that still loves her, Portia. And she is ready to leave everyone who in her mind left her hanging out to dry. If she considers it her retirement, so be it,” the source continued. “An enormous part of the U.S. doesn’t like her because of her sexual preferences. And others were turned off by her persona, which some perceived to be fake in the wake of the work place allegations.”
“For Ellen, it’s easier to move away from her problems than to confront them,” this insider concluded. “It seems like a sad end to what she once was in people’s minds.”
Given everything that has happened to DeGeneres in recent years, the prospect of losing de Rossi forever might just be too much for her to bear. It will certainly be interesting to see if DeGeneres can change her ways fast enough to keep her wife with her in England longterm!