Ellen DeGeneres to perform UK shows
After admitting she was 'a little bit bored' after retiring to the Cotswolds
Ellen DeGeneres is to perform a series of ‘in conversation with’ events – all relatively close to her Cotswolds home.
Five shows will take place in Reading, Milton Keynes, Bath, Bristol and Oxford in October and November. They follow a similar event in July which was hosted by Richard Bacon.
Promoters say: ‘As a beloved television icon and entertainment pioneer, Ellen DeGeneres’ distinctive comedic voice has resonated with audiences from her first stand-up comedy appearance through her work today on television, in film, and in the literary world.’
However the comic was not always beloved by staff on her daytime talk show, which ended in 2022 after 19 seasons following multiple allegations of workplace bullying. Many former employees complained of a toxic atmosphere, at odds with her ‘nice’ TV persona.
Last year, she said that she ‘got kicked out of show business for being mean’ and intended to leave the business for good following a farewell stand-up tour that was filmed for Netflix.
In November she and her wife, the Modern Family star Portia de Rossi, relocated from their home in Montecito, California, to the Cotswolds, in a move triggered by Donald Trump’s re-election.
They recently put their estate on the market for £22.5million, having reportedly moved to a new property nearby, and DeGeneres has been posting about their new life to her 135.5million Instagram followers.
But during her in conversation event in July she admitted of rural life: ‘I do like my chickens but I’m a little bit bored’.
She also dismissed the stories about the workplace culture on her talk show as ‘clickbait’.
Whatever the legacy of that show, DeGeneres made TV history in 1997 when her character on her self-titled sitcom came out as gay in the so-called ‘Puppy Episode’, a landmark moment in US television watched by 46 million viewers.
It has not been announced who will host the new ‘in conversation with’ events.
Some tickets will go on sale from Wednesday, and on general release on Saturday. At the Reading venue they will be priced from £38.50 to £68.50.
Published: 8 Sep 2025
