Ellen DeGeneres gave a rare insight into her life with wife Portia de Rossi in their $70 million “forever home” in California when 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 their multimillion-dollar real estate portfolio and their home-turning prowess, have settled into their newly acquired Carpinteria estate.
Speak against RIV magazine, the star said, “This place is all about the place. The house needed a lot of work, but the place was always great. Oddly enough, this was the very first place Portia and I ever visited here (back in 2007)…To be honest, I didn’t even want to see the place. It’s the longest I’ve ever considered on a property.
“Because the place was incredible, but the house, although it had good bones, didn’t really have any surface for me to live with and everything collided with everything. Even the ceilings.
The star said she and actress Portia don’t clash over home renovations, saying, “There’s no division. She loves horses as much as I love houses. But we don’t dive into each other’s silos. 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 in their $70 million “forever home” in California as she gave her first interview in a year this week (pictured as they renew their vows on their estate in Carpinteria)
The star has made huge progress in renovating the new estate after just a few months and revealed how she gets the job done so quickly.
She added: “Personally, I don’t understand people accepting these drawn-out schedules to get things done. Once I’ve made the decision to enter, I’ll go 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 big a high-quality team of painters and finishers you can build and deploy quickly.”
DailyMail.com reported last year that 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 house.’
In December, the New York Post reported that DeGeneres and de Rossi had purchased the home in Carpinteria, just south of Summerland.
They paid for a pair of properties right next to each other, one for just over $40 million, while another brought in nearly $30 million.
The two properties together amounted to 10 acres. The publication also reported that $70 million was the highest amount ever paid for a property in Santa Barbara.
DeGeneres and de Rossi have shown a savvy interest in real estate over the past year, buying and selling the couple a number of properties.
Wow: Speaking to RIV Magazine, the star said, “This place is all about the place. The house needed a lot of work, but the place was always great. Oddly this was the very first place Portia and I ever looked at this (in 2007) – Photo 2020
Ellen and Portia first met in 2000 at a party and de Rossi immediately fell head over heels for Ellen.
However, the pair did not begin dating until several years later, in part because de Rossi was not out as gay at the time.
The couple got married in 2008 after California legalized same-sex marriage, and they’ve been together ever since.
Ellen and Portia first met in 2000 at a party and de Rossi immediately fell head over heels for Ellen.
However, the pair did not begin dating until several years later, in part because de Rossi was not out as gay at the time.
The couple got married in 2008 after California legalized same-sex marriage, and they’ve been together ever since.
At one point, Ellen and Portia were seen holding hands as they looked into each other’s eyes. They also each held long-stemmed white flowers.
The house was huge with high beamed ceilings, natural blond 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 renewal when she served as an officiant. She read from a piece of paper as she oversaw the ceremony.
DeGeneres announced she would end her show in May 2021, telling fans she intuitively felt it was time to wrap things up in the 19th season
Jenner wore a white coat and black leather slacks as she adjusted her glasses. Kris and Ellen have been good friends for decades.
A pileup of professional troubles for DeGeneres – who encouraged people to “be nice” on her show – emerged in March 2020, after comedian Kevin T. Porter went viral after asking his followers to post “insane” stories about “Ellen that is mean” in a charitable effort for the Los Angeles Food Bank.
The tweet inspired hundreds of responses, which culminated in more bad publicity for the star when employees on her show complained of poor treatment by the show’s executives when the coronavirus forced DeGeneres to film her show from home.
In July 2020, Buzz feed published one few reports speaking to current and former employees for the show who said the program was plagued by a toxic work environment filled with bullying, sexual misconduct and racial slurs.
Warner Bros.’s parent company, WarnerMedia, subsequently launched an internal investigation into the show, saying the findings pointed to “some deficiencies in the day-to-day management of the show” and “deficiencies related to the day-to-day management of the show.”
In August 2020, Warner Bros. indicated that executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman “parted ways” with the show prior to its 18th season.
When DeGeneres returned to the air in September 2020, she apologized for the scandal about things “that should never have happened.”
“I know 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 on my show.”
“We’ve had a lot of conversations over the past 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 came out in 2003
In the speech, DeGeneres also addressed allegations aimed at her personal behavior, saying, “The truth is I’m that person you see on TV. I am also many other things. I get sad. I’m getting angry. I get nervous. I get frustrated. I’m getting impatient. And that’s all I’m doing.’
The show felt like an instant hit, as it averaged 1.5 million viewers in the first six months of the season, according to Nielsen, compared to 2.6 million the year before.
DeGeneres announced she would end her show in May 2021, telling fans she intuitively felt it was time to wrap things up in the 19th season.
“You may be wondering why I decided to stop after 19 seasons,” she said on her show. “The truth is that I always trust my instincts. My instinct told me it’s time.’