Signs Ellen DeGeneres And Portia De Rossi May Be Headed For A Split

Comedian, actress, and host Ellen DeGeneres has long been an icon in the LGBTQ community, and she has strived to create more representation by being honest about her relationships. She has been married to model and actress Portia de Rossi since 2008. But fans are beginning to wonder if the happy couple is still living in paradise. Sources have even told InTouch that the two are no longer satisfied with their marriage and could be headed for divorce. And they say DeGeneres' unpleasant attitude is to blame. "Ellen is something like a deposed dictator as far as her reputation in show business is concerned," a longtime associate of the couple told InTouch. "She is incredibly famous. She has a massive fortune, but all of her power and influence are gone and don't seem like they're ever coming back." (One of DeGeneres' famous exes, Anne Heche, once gave de Rossi a word of warning about dating the comedian.)

Fans also began to suspect a split was on the horizon when looking at the couple's real estate purchases and sales. At the beginning of 2024, DeGeneres and de Rossi sold their mansion in Carpinteria, California, which they had only just purchased in 2022. The quick sale of the new home has raised some eyebrows and begs the question: Are they no longer living together or planning to live apart permanently?

The breakup rumors come on the heels of Ellen DeGeneres' tarnished reputation in show business. The once prominent comedian has been subject to public scrutiny following bombshell reports in 2020 that alleged misconduct on the comedian's long-running daytime talk show. In 2021, DeGeneres said that she relied on her wife Portia de Rossi when the scandal hit. "It broke my heart; I couldn't have gone through everything I went through without [de Rossi]," the former television host told People. "It was a horrible time in my life ... she kept me going and tried to help me put things in perspective." After her show aired its final episode in 2022, DeGeneres refused to leave her home and said that the stress of the situation eventually transferred to her wife. "She was watching it happen to me ... she went through it with me," DeGeneres shared (via The Independent).

In an attempt to return to the spotlight, DeGeneres released a stand-up special on Netflix called "Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval" in September 2024. However, the special was met with much criticism, as viewers didn't find it very funny that DeGeneres turned her biggest scandal into a joke. "To put it mildly, Ellen's Netflix special did nothing to reverse her bad reputation," InTouch's source said, adding that the bomb of the special "has only intensified the talk among Ellen and Portia's remaining pals in Hollywood that their marriage is in terrible shape." The source continued, "It all comes down to Ellen's defiant, disagreeable tone in the special, and the assumption people make that something has to have changed massively behind the scenes in years since Ellen retired from her show."

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi are collaborating on a new venture amid separation rumors. The two have been promoting DeGeneres' new skin care line, Kind Science. InTouch's source sees the joint venture as a last-ditch effort to create something meaningful together, but the longtime associate is confident that Kind Science will be a dud. "Ellen starting a skin care business with Portia reeks of desperation and suggests that it's hell at home if they need this new project to work on," the source offered. "It really is the strangest marriage in Hollywood because of all the wacky schemes Ellen has dragged them into as a couple, and a lot of Ellen's side hustles evaporated after her scandal. People can tell that something is off."

In August 2024, InTouch spoke with another source about the couple's ailing marriage. This source said that the two were desperate for some distance from one another. With de Rossi no longer acting and DeGeneres no longer doing her talk show, the couple are always at home together. But they're getting a little too close for comfort. "They just celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary, but it wasn't exactly celebratory," the source said. "Ellen being home all the time has taken a toll on their marriage. And Portia isn't working much either. They're always in each other's face, and frankly, they're getting on each other's nerves." Ultimately, the pair have been together for over a decade, but it's safe to say that DeGeneres' relationship with de Rossi is on shaky ground.