How many times was Donald Trump on Ellen? History explored as Ellen DeGeneres reveals president reason behind UK move

Ellen DeGeneres has confirmed that Donald Trump was indeed the reason she relocated to the UK, the BBC reported.

The ex-TV host recently made her first public appearance at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire’s Everyman Theatre, since settling in England. According to the BBC, DeGeneres spoke to broadcaster Richard Bacon in front of a crowd.

When asked whether the US President was the reason behind her relocation, the comedian confirmed with a “yes.”

Interestingly, Donald Trump was once a frequent guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The businessman-turned-politician made five appearances on the program, years before he ran for office.

According to IMDb, Trump’s Ellen debut was in February 2004, during Season 1, Episode 113.

Here is Ellen DeGeneres asking Trump to marry her mother before he ran for office. pic.twitter.com/uU6Dk2h0sM

— Community Notes & Violations (@CNviolations) June 12, 2025

His next appearances were on Season 2, Episode 18 in September 2004, Season 3, Episode 12 in September 2005, and Season 3, Episode 124 in March 2006. Season 4, Episode 93 in January 2007 was the final time the then-future POTUS appeared as a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Trump was elected US President twice, following his wins in 2016 and 2024. After he was sworn in as the POTUS in 2017, Ellen told Matt Lauer that she would never invite him as a guest again. DeGeneres added (via Vanity Fair), 

"Because I’m not going to change his mind. He’s against everything that I stand for. We need to look at someone else who looks different than us and believes in something that we don’t believe in and still accept them, and still let them have their rights." 

DeGeneres’ talk show concluded in May 2022, almost two years after the “toxic work environment” allegations emerged in a 2020 BuzzFeed article.

According to The Guardian, the comedian joked about it during a Los Angeles show of her 2024 “Ellen’s Last Stand … Up” tour,

“I got kicked out of show business. There’s no mean people in show business.”

While the former TV host did not return to showbiz, she eventually moved to the UK with her wife, Portia de Rossi, in November 2024, The Wrap reported.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi moved to the UK a day before the 2024 election

Ellen DeGeneres says she decided to move to the U.K. when she found out Donald Trump was re-elected. pic.twitter.com/TZqO12tFOv

— Pop Base (@PopBase) July 20, 2025

In November last year, a report from The Wrap hinted at the comedian leaving the US due to Trump. The outlet cited a source close to Ellen, who mentioned that she and her wife don’t plan to move back to the United States after Donald Trump’s return to power.

During her recent public appearance, DeGeneres confirmed reports about settling in the UK. She told Richard Bacon (via the BBC),

“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 were like, ‘We’re staying here.’”

After announcing her decision to stay permanently in the UK, Ellen DeGeneres praised the country for its beauty and a “simpler way of life.” She said (via the BBC),

“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. It’s clean. Everything here is just better — the way animals are treated, how polite people are. I just love it here.”

She added,

“We moved here in November, which was not the ideal time, but I saw snow for the first time in my life. We love it here. Portia flew her horses here, and I have chickens, and we had sheep for about two weeks.”

During the conversation, Ellen also mentioned missing her talk show and confirmed that she might not do it for British audiences. The comedian claimed that the format might not work.

DeGeneres said (via the BBC),

“I mean, I wish it did, because I would do the same thing here. I would love to do that again, but I just feel like people are watching on their phones, or people aren’t really paying attention as much to televisions, because we’re so inundated with information and entertainment.”

However, Ellen didn’t rule out the possibility of a new project, claiming that she doesn’t "know what that is yet.”