Ellen DeGeneres may have found herself the center of drama again, this time in England. The 67-year-old host moved to Gloucestershire a few months ago with her wife, Portia de Rossi, but she has reportedly ruffled the feathers of one of her neighboring aristocrats.
It was reported in November that DeGeneres and Rossi moved to the UK after selling their Montecito home and purchasing a Cotswolds farmhouse in October for $18.7M, around USD 3.15 million above the asking price. With millions of dollars and a dream, DeGeneres added a single-story extension to the property, which neighbors believed may have disturbed historic Roman remains, per DailyMail.
According to the outlet, her neighbor, Rosie Pearson, the youngest daughter of the late Viscount Cowdray, and two other parish councilors raised concerns about the "technical breach."
The parish council noted that DeGeneres was responsible for reporting any historical finds and was worried that a new fence could impact the remains, and increase flood risks by trapping debris. "Concern was expressed by residents that the hedge and wire fence could increase flood risk in the village' if rubbish was swept down and 'caught on the fence', thereby 'limiting flow across the field,'" records a note from the parish council minutes.
However, a district council spokesman later confirmed to DailyMail that the Roman remains were actually more than 200 yards away from the property, and the work had been completed to a high standard.
Ellen's big move
DeGeneres is no stranger to drama - she made headlines over an alleged "toxic work environment" in 2020 that followed her for years. She addressed the situation on her final stand-up tour, "Ellen's Last Stand...Up Tour" joking that she was "kicked out of show business."
"I used to say that I didn't care what other people thought of me, and I realized...I said that at the height of my popularity," she said before acknowledging the final season of her show was haunted by the allegations of mistreatment on set, per E!.
"The 'be kind' girl wasn't kind," she said onstage. "I became this one-dimensional character who gave stuff away and danced up steps. Do you know how hard it is to dance up the steps? Would a mean person dance up steps? Had I ended my show by saying, 'Go f--k yourself,' people would've been pleasantly surprised," she continued.
Seemingly already planning her move, she told the audience in Santa Rosa, California, "This is the last time you’re going to see me."
Hopefully, the new neighbors can get past the riff and be future friends.