Ellen DeGeneres surprised fans this week with a dramatic new look and a rare glimpse into her quiet life in the British countryside.
The 67-year-old former talk show host, who relocated to the U.K. in late 2024 following Donald Trump’s presidential win, posted a humorous Instagram video of herself doing lawn work.
Seated atop a yellow ride-on mower, Ellen was seen navigating a wide, grassy field under gray skies. The post quickly grabbed attention not just for the scenic backdrop but for DeGeneres’ noticeably darker locks, marking a departure from the platinum blonde look she’s worn throughout most of her career.
The video, captioned “Portia thought it would be fun to film my first time on the mower. She was right,” showed Ellen gamely taking on the task. Text over the clip read, “How it started,” before cutting to a moment where someone helped her after the mower stalled on a steep hill.
Ellen and her wife, Portia de Rossi, recently settled into a new home near Oxfordshire after their first U.K. property in the Cotswolds suffered major flooding shortly after they moved in. Despite the rocky start, the couple appears to be embracing their rural lifestyle.
Last month, DeGeneres shared another serene moment on Instagram: a photo of Portia admiring a double rainbow after a rainfall. “Three things that make me happy: My wife, a rainbow, and my wife taking a photograph of a rainbow,” she wrote to her 136 million followers.
The former daytime TV icon has been keeping a lower profile since the end of The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2022. The long-running series came to a close following controversy in 2020, when DeGeneres faced accusations of fostering a toxic workplace environment — claims she later addressed and apologized for.
Now, it seems Ellen is focused on a slower pace of life far from the cameras — swapping talk show tapings for muddy fields, scenic views, and quiet moments with Portia.
