Ellen DeGeneres gave a rare insight into her life with wife Portia de Rossi at their $70million ‘forever home’ in California as she gave her first interview in a year this week.
The former talk show host, 65, and wife Portia, 50, who have become known for the multi-million dollar property portfolio and prowess in house flipping, have settled into their newly acquired Carpinteria area estate.
Speaking to RIV Magazine, the star said: ‘This place is all about the spot. The house needed a lot of work but the spot was always amazing. Strangely this was the very first place Portia and I ever looked at up here (in 2007)…truthfully I didn’t even want to see the place. It’s the longest I’ve ever deliberated on a property.
‘Because the site was incredible but the house, while good bones, basically didn’t have a single surface I could live with and everything clashed with everything. Even the ceilings.
The star said she and actress Portia don’t clash over house renovations, saying: ‘There’s no division. She’s as passionate about horses as I am about houses. But we don’t delve into each other’s silos. In fact I can’t really get her to go into a furniture store with me. Unless there’s a horse in there somewhere.’
At home: Ellen DeGeneres gave a rare insight into her life with wife Portia de Rossi at their $70million ‘forever home’ in California as she gave her first interview in a year this week (pictured renewing their vows at their Carpinteria area estate)
The star has made huge progress in renovating the new estate after just a few months and revealed how she gets the work done so quickly.
She added: ‘Personally I don’t understand people accepting these drawn out schedules to get things done. Once I make the decision to engage I’m off to the races. And in a case like this where we’re only dealing with surface changes, it’s really just a matter of how large a high quality team of painters and fine finishers you can build and deploy quickly.’
DailyMail.com reported last year, Ellen and Portia renewed their vows—with Kris Jenner officiating—at their new estate in a ceremony also attended by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
‘This is a new chapter,’ Portia told her wife. ‘After 24 houses in 18 years, this is our first home.’
In December, the New York Post reported that DeGeneres and de Rossi purchased the home in Carpinteria which is just south of Summerland.
They paid for a pair of properties right next to one another, one for just north of $40 million while another came in close to $30 million.
The two properties came in at 10 acres when combined. The publication also reported that $70 million was the most ever paid for a Santa Barbara property.
DeGeneres and de Rossi have shown a shrewd interest in real estate over the past year with the pair buying and selling a number of properties.
Wow: Speaking to RIV Magazine, the star said: ‘This place is all about the spot. The house needed a lot of work but the spot was always amazing. Strangely this was the very first place Portia and I ever looked at up here (in 2007) – pictured 2020
Ellen and Portia first met back in 2000 at a party and de Rossi immediately fell head over heels for Ellen.
However, the pair didn’t start dating until several years later, partly because de Rossi was not out as gay at the time.
The pair married in 2008 after California legalized gay marriage, and they have remained together ever since.
Ellen and Portia first met back in 2000 at a party and de Rossi immediately fell head over heels for Ellen.
However, the pair didn’t start dating until several years later, partly because de Rossi was not out as gay at the time.
The pair married in 2008 after California legalized gay marriage, and they have remained together ever since.
At one point Ellen and Portia were seen holding hands as they looked into each other’s eyes. They were also each holding long-stemmed white flowers.
The home was massive with high wood beamed ceilings, natural blonde wood floors, bleached wood cabinets and black and white modern paintings.
Keeping Up With The Kardashians producer and Kardashian/Jenner manager Kris was also seen at the vow renewals as she served as officiant. She read from a piece of paper as she oversaw the ceremony.
DeGeneres announced she was ending her show in May of 2021, telling fans that she intuitively felt it was time to wrap things up in its 19th season
Jenner wore a white coat and black leather slacks as she adjusted her prescription glasses. Kris and Ellen have been close friends for decades.
A pileup of professional problems for DeGeneres – who encouraged people to ‘Be kind’ on her show – sprouted in March of 2020, after comedian Kevin T. Porter went viral after asking his followers to post ‘insane’ tales of ‘Ellen being mean’ in a charitable effort for Los Angeles Food Bank.
The tweet inspired hundreds of responses, snowballing into more bad publicity for the star as employees of her show complained about poor treatment from the show’s execs as the coronavirus forced DeGeneres to film her show from home.
In July of 2020, Buzzfeed published a pair of reports speaking with current and former employees for the show who said that the program was plagued by a toxic work environment rife with bullying, sexual misconduct and racist remarks.
Warner Bros.’s parent company WarnerMedia subsequently launched an internal probe of the show, saying that findings indicated ‘some flaws in the show’s daily management’ and ‘deficiencies related to the show’s day-to-day management.’
In August of 2020, Warner Bros. announced that executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman had ‘parted ways’ with the show prior to its 18th season.
When DeGeneres returned to the air in September of 2020, she apologized over the scandal over things ‘that never should have happened.’
‘I know that I’m in a position of privilege and power,’ she said, ‘and I realize that with that comes responsibility, and I take responsibility for what happens at my show.
‘We have had a lot of conversations over the last few weeks about the show, our workplace, and what we want for the future. We have made the necessary changes and today we are starting a new chapter.’
The long-running talk show first hit the air in 2003
In the speech, DeGeneres also addressed allegations aimed at her personal behavior, saying, ‘The truth is I am that person that you see on TV. I am also a lot of other things. I get sad. I get mad. I get anxious. I get frustrated. I get impatient. And I am working on all of that.’
The show felt an immediate ratings hit, as it averaged 1.5 million viewers in the first six months of the season compared to 2.6 million the year before, according to Nielsen.
DeGeneres announced she was ending her show in May of 2021, telling fans that she intuitively felt it was time to wrap things up in its 19th season.
‘You may wonder why I’ve decided to end after 19 seasons,’ she said on her show. ‘The truth is, I always trust my instincts. My instinct told me it’s time.’
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