Ellen DeGeneres’ love of renovating, design and luxury property is no secret. Along with partner Portia de Rossi, the pair have garnered a reputation for being two of Hollywood’s most prolific buyers and sellers of multimillion dollar homes in Southern California.
During the 17 years The Ellen Show has aired, the comedian and actor duo has amassed a huge property portfolio worth a reported $630 million (US$450m).
DeGeneres recently announced her talk show will wrap in 2022 after its 19th season, but her property portfolio – which has netted Portia and herself a cool $90 to $100 million in profits – has been separate to her The Ellen Show earnings.
The celebrity pair currently own $90 million worth of holdings: Rancho San Leandro and Dennis Miller house, both in the Santa Barbara region of Montecito, California.
Now, DeGeneres has added another Montecito property into the mix, taking that figure to $119 million.
Here is a run down of Ellen and Portia’s extensive (and envy-inducing) property portfolio.
Latest: Villa Tragara – $29 million (US$21m)
DeGeneres has reportedly snapped up a bargain this week in a $29 million mansion with clear ocean views that sat languishing on the luxury LA market for three years.
If that kind of money doesn’t seem like a discount, the TV star’s purchase price is far less than the original asking of $48 million (US$35m).
Perhaps its time on market is due to the style of the home – a Moorish estate modelled after the Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain which stands out in the area filled with Tuscan-style compounds – or because the sprawling 12,000 square footprint only includes three bedrooms.
Designed and built by director Kinka Usher, no expense was spared. Nearly everything in the spectacular rose-hued mansion is bespoke and achingly expensive, from the hand-carved front door to the beautiful floors, most of which were imported from Europe.
There are hammam-inspired bathrooms, numerous Corinthian columns, intricate window work and heated floors throughout.
Outside there’s 2.45 acres of landscaped grounds with exotic plantings and a heated pool which cost $550,000 (US$400K) to install. There’s also a pickle ball court, bocce ball court, koi ponds, a 16-seat covered pergola for al fresco dining and tennis court.
With DeGeneres and de Rossi’s penchant for prestige fixer-upper jobs, we can’t wait to see what they do with this unique property.
Current: Rancho San Leandro – $20 million (US$14.3m)
Ellen and Portia bought and sold the gorgeous Rancho San Leandro three years ago in Montecito. They sold the sprawling ranch for US$11 million in 2018 to Tinder founder Sean Rad after purchasing it for US$7.2 million in 2017.
That sales regret means Ellen has it back – but after paying double the cost of what she initially bough it for.
The 5.8-acre estate dates back to the 1800s and has been carefully restored and cared for over time. It has two houses – including one of the oldest and most authentic adobe homes in California.
The adobe home has a single master suite with two bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen, a breakfast room, a subterranean wine cellar and a game room.
The ‘Monterrey’ house offers three bedrooms, three-and-a-half bathrooms, a dining area, a formal library, a gym and a terrace with a fireplace.
Situated atop a ridge in Montecito, the historic property commands stunning views of both the Pacific Ocean and Santa Ynez Mountains. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and offer olive groves, rose gardens, private courtyards, and professional quality equestrian facilities (which includes a tack room and fenced dressage arena).
The home is next door to Oprah’s ever-expanding ‘Promised Land’ estate.
Current: Dennis Miller’s Cape Dutch compound – $70 million (US$49m)
In 2020, DeGeneres dropped US$49 million in cash to secure this stunning and extremely private 4.3-acre estate in Montecito, designed and developed by talk show host and political commentator Dennis Miller and his wife Slim Paley over nearly a decade.
As it was never listed on the open market, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms is unknown.
However, the walled and gated property includes a guest house, garage, infinity pool, pool house and barn designed by Tom Kundig, principal and owner of Olson Kundig Architects.
There is also a 9,000-square-foot mansion built in the South African Cape Dutch architectural style, explains Dirt.
If Slim Paley’s Instagram posts of the property are anything to go by, this is one dreamy estate that the pair poured their heart and soul into. The word ‘picturesque’ is an understatement.
Paley says she looks back “with such great fondness at the last kitchen I designed,” and that her lush and impressive garden full of protea, lavender and hummingbirds is “my heart, my joy, my therapist.”
The buildings surround a lily pond complete with fish and a rowboat. The estate – which enjoys both mountain and ocean views – also has walkways, organic vegetable gardens, parking for over 30 cars and hidden outdoor seating areas.
SOLD 2021: Adam Levine’s former Beverly Hills home – $66 million (US$47m)
In early 2021 Ellen and Portia sold this Tudor-style ivy-covered 1930s home, which once belonged to Adam Levine, for a whopping US$47 million – US$6.5 million under their original US$53.5 million asking price. They still made a US$2 million profit, though.
The beautiful two-storey home has five bedrooms and nine bathrooms, steel doors and windows and wide-plank reclaimed wood floors. There’s a 50-foot living room with stone fireplace and white plaster walls, a large dining room with a bar, a panelled library, two kitchens (one which Levine gave a US$200,000 facelift), a gym and a theater with a bar.
The outdoor areas are just as charming, with rolling lawns and gardens, a resort-style pool, sunken tennis court, guest house and an outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven.
The home has a storied Hollywood past, being near Meghan and Harry’s sprawling mansion and formerly owned by the likes of Will and Grace creator Max Mutchnick and tennis player Pete Sampras.
