She’s traded Hollywood’s bright lights for the rolling hills of the English countryside. Portia de Rossi, the Australian actress who captured hearts in Ally McBeal and Arrested Development, officially closed the chapter on her acting career back in 2018, and she hasn’t looked back since.
At 52, she’s built an entirely new life in England’s picturesque Cotswolds region with wife Ellen DeGeneres, focusing on art curation, animal welfare, and what the couple calls “a simpler way of life.”
With a net worth of $50 million and zero plans to return to the screen, de Rossi’s transformation from Hollywood fixture to rural entrepreneur is pretty much complete. The couple’s November 2024 move to England following Donald Trump’s re-election sealed the deal, and they’ve made it clear: there’s no going back to the States.
Portia De Rossi Biography
Born Amanda Lee Rogers on January 31, 1973, in Horsham, Victoria, Australia, she didn’t stick with that name for long. At just 15, she reinvented herself, plucking “Portia” from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and adding the sophisticated-sounding Italian surname “de Rossi.” It was a bold move for a teenager, but it set the tone for a woman who’d never be afraid to write her own story.
Fast forward to 2010, and she’d change her name one more time. After marrying Ellen DeGeneres in August 2008, she legally became Portia Lee James DeGeneres in September 2010. As of August 2025, the couple has celebrated 17 years of marriage and marked an impressive 20 years together overall, with Ellen posting on Instagram: “20 years together. Happy to be with you everywhere and always.”
Portia’s zodiac sign is Aquarius, and she’s 5ft 6 inches tall.
Portia De Rossi Career
De Rossi’s career really took off when she landed the role of Nelle Porter on Ally McBeal in 1998. She played the ice-queen lawyer for four seasons (1998-2002), earning a Screen Actors Guild Award in 1999 alongside the ensemble cast.
Ask fans what they remember most, and they’ll probably say Lindsay Bluth Fünke from Arrested Development. De Rossi appeared across all five seasons of the critically acclaimed comedy (2003-2019), earning a Golden Satellite Award in 2005 for her performance. Her portrayal of the vain, status-obsessed Lindsay became iconic, with the show developing a massive cult following.
Here’s the thing, though: she’d already announced her retirement before filming that final season. She made an exception for creator Mitchell Hurwitz, appearing in just five episodes of Season 5 compared to her full presence in earlier seasons. That final episode on March 15, 2019? That was it, her last on-screen performance.
Other Notable TV Work
Between Ally McBeal and Arrested Development, de Rossi built an impressive television resume:
Better Off Ted (2009-2010) – She starred in this quirky workplace comedy that critics loved but audiences sadly overlooked. It was cancelled after two seasons despite being ahead of its time.
Nip/Tuck (2007-2009) – A recurring role that showed her dramatic range in the provocative plastic surgery drama.
Scandal (2014-2017) – She played Elizabeth North, the cutthroat Republican strategist, for three seasons. She voluntarily left when her character was killed off, later revealing she was already contemplating retirement.
Her film debut came way back in 1994 with Sirens, but television is where she truly made her mark.
In May 2018, de Rossi appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and dropped the news: she was retiring from acting. Her reasoning was she wanted to “explore new challenges” and felt she already knew “what acting would look like for the next 10, 20 years.” Why keep doing something when you’ve figured it out completely?
She’s been true to her word. Despite tabloid rumours in October 2025 claiming HBO producers wanted her for The White Lotus Season 4, nothing has materialised. These reports came from Globe Magazine and similar outlets. Meanwhile, reputable trade publications like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter? Radio silence. Her IMDb page stays dormant except for a 2024 producer credit on Ellen’s Netflix special.
More than six years into retirement, there’s been zero wavering. Sure, she told People magazine she’d “consider selective projects if something significant came along,” but so far, nothing’s been significant enough.
Portia De Rossi Net Worth
Multiple celebrity finance sources peg de Rossi’s net worth at $50 million as of 2025. Celebrity Net Worth, Koimoi, Edunetworth, and CelebsMoney all report the exact figure, which has held steady since at least 2018.
Her wealth comes from several streams: substantial acting career earnings, her art business General Public, smart real estate investments with Ellen, and royalties from her 2010 memoir Unbearable Lightness. Combined with Ellen’s estimated $500 million fortune, their household wealth sits at approximately $550 million.
The couple’s expertise in property flipping has been a major wealth builder. Ellen once described house flipping as her “version of travel,” and they’ve certainly travelled through enough properties, 24 homes in 18 years, according to Portia’s count during their 2023 vow renewal.
General Public
When de Rossi walked away from Hollywood, she didn’t just sit around. She channelled her creative energy into General Public, an art publishing company that’s still going strong as of October 2025. The company has an exclusive partnership with RH (Restoration Hardware), and both women recently attended the grand opening of RH Paris at The Gallery on the Champs-Élysées on September 4, 2025.
The business model is actually pretty innovative. General Public uses proprietary Synograph™ 3D printing technology developed with Fujifilm to create textured art reproductions that capture the actual brushstrokes and texture of original paintings. They back their mission statement—”Support Artists, Not Art”—by a commitment to paying artists a 5% royalty on each sale.
Works range from $500 to $3,000, making art more accessible while still supporting creators. The company features an international roster of artists selected from over 5,000 submissions worldwide. It operates through RH.com and RH galleries across the United States, Canada, and Europe (including Paris, Brussels, Madrid, Düsseldorf, and Munich).
Portia De Rossi’s Personal Life
De Rossi publicly came out as gay in 2005, a brave move during a time when Hollywood wasn’t exactly welcoming to LGBTQ+ actors. She’d been hiding her sexuality for years, worried it would destroy her career. Turns out, being authentic was the best career move she could’ve made.
She and Ellen started dating shortly after, and their relationship moved quickly. They got engaged in May 2008 following California’s brief legalisation of same-sex marriage, and tied the knot on August 16, 2008, at their Beverly Hills home. The intimate ceremony had just 19 guests, with Portia wearing a backless pink tulle Zac Posen gown.
Fast forward to February 2023, and Portia pulled off the ultimate surprise. During her own 50th birthday party on January 31, she arranged a vow renewal ceremony with Kris Jenner officiating and Brandi Carlile performing “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.” She even wore her original 2008 Zac Posen wedding dress.
The guest list included who’s who of Hollywood: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Carol Burnett, Courteney Cox, Katy Perry, and Orlando Bloom. In her vows, Portia joked about their real estate habit: “I feel like we’re on a new journey like this is a new chapter after 24 houses in 18 years… this is our first home.”
Despite persistent tabloid rumours about marital problems, including a September 2025 RadarOnline report about “time apart”, the couple remains solid. They regularly share affectionate social media posts and make joint public appearances. Ellen’s August 16, 2025, Instagram post for their anniversary put it simply: “You are a beautiful soul that I am so very grateful to have as a partner to navigate this crazy life with.”
Portia was once married to Mel M. Metcalfe from 1996 to 1999, but expressed unhappiness in that marriage.
Why They Left America
The couple purchased their first Cotswolds property, Kitesbridge Farm in Swinbrook, Oxfordshire, in June 2024 for approximately £15 million ($20 million). They arrived in England on November 4, 2024, literally the day before the presidential election. When Trump won, they decided to stay permanently.
Ellen confirmed it publicly in July 2025 while speaking to broadcaster Richard Bacon in Cheltenham: “We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, ‘He got in.’ And we’re like, ‘We’re staying here.'” Both women have stated they have no plans to return to the United States.
Ellen also referenced concerns about LGBTQ+ rights in America, particularly the Southern Baptist Convention’s moves regarding same-sex marriage. “Portia and I are already looking into it, and if they do that, we’re going to get married here [in the UK],” she said.
Here’s where it gets interesting: they lived in Kitesbridge Farm for only about a month before listing it for sale in July 2025 for £22.5 million ($30-30.5 million), a potential profit of roughly £7.5 million ($10+ million). Ellen explained to the Wall Street Journal: “When we decided to live here full time, we knew that Portia couldn’t live without her horses. We needed a home that had a horse facility and pastures for them.”
They moved in August 2025 to a larger, more modern compound about 30 minutes away, also in the Cotswolds, with extensive equestrian facilities. Ellen shared an Instagram video of Portia horseback riding through the English countryside with the caption: “Portia’s living her dream riding her horse through the English countryside and into the village. Gosh I hope she comes home soon.”
Ellen’s been effusive about their new home: “It’s absolutely beautiful. We’re just not used to seeing this kind of beauty. The villages and the towns and the architecture—everything you see is charming and it’s just a simpler way of life.” She summed it up perfectly in July 2025: “Everything here is just better.”
Liquidating the California Empire
Their permanent UK relocation triggered a massive property sell-off in California, totalling over $103 million in documented sales during 2024-2025. The biggest transaction? Their Carpinteria estate was sold to mining billionaire Robert Friedland in August 2024 for $96 million. They’d purchased it in late 2022 for $70 million, netting a cool $26 million profit on the 10-acre blufftop estate.
In March 2025, they flipped their Montecito beach bungalow for $5.2 million (they’d bought it for $2.9 million in 2020-2021), receiving multiple offers within two days. They also completed a complicated property swap with Friedland involving their Pompeiian Court estate.
As of October 2025, they still have one major California property on the market: a Richard Neutra-designed modernist home originally listed in May 2024 for $33.9 million, reduced to $28.5 million by June 2025. It’s one of their last remaining U.S. assets.
Portia De Rossi Philanthropy
The couple’s most significant philanthropic project is The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda. Portia surprised Ellen with this gift on her 60th birthday in January 2018. Imagine receiving a $15 million, 12-acre gorilla conservation facility for your birthday. Money!!!!
The campus was officially dedicated on June 8, 2022, with both women in attendance. Since opening, it’s hosted over 5,000 visitors, including 2,000 students, created 2,400 construction jobs (99% staffed by local Rwandans), and invested $13.5 million in the Rwandan economy.
Ellen said at the dedication: “Dian Fossey has always been a hero of mine, and so it’s been the honor of a lifetime to support this project.”
Portia established The Ellen Fund, a nonprofit in Ellen’s name that continues operating with tax filings available through 2023. Initially focused on the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, it has expanded to endangered species conservation globally. In 2021, the fund launched an “Endangered” campaign that raised $1 million for seven species conservation programs.
De Rossi also maintains longtime support for animal rights organisations, including Best Friends Animal Society, the Humane Society, Farm Sanctuary, and The Gentle Barn. She became vegan in 2008 and remains a vocal advocate against animal cruelty.
She’s historically supported LGBTQ+ organisations, including GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign, having been an out and proud advocate since 2005. She’s also worked with organisations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness, reflecting her openness about her own struggles with eating disorders, detailed in her 2010 memoir Unbearable Lightness.
What Is Portia De Rossi Doing Now?
Since relocating to England, the couple has kept a relatively low profile. The September 2025 RH Paris appearance for Portia’s art company was one of their few public events. They’re living the quiet life Portia always wanted, surrounded by horses, chickens, and the rolling Cotswolds countryside.
Ellen’s Instagram posts show glimpses of their new reality: Portia riding through village lanes, both women exploring local pubs, and the simple pleasures of rural English life. They’re looking forward to their first snowy Christmas together in the UK, and Ellen’s already joking about learning to drive on the “wrong” side of the road.