For the last year, their marriage has been dogged by rumors that they’re headed for a split. But is the split between Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi really out of nowhere? And what makes the internet think they’re going to split soon? It’s all in the details.
Is it for real?
This isn’t the first time we heard the rumors of a split between Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi. The rumors started last year when Star reported their relationship was rocky. The couple denied the allegations all the way back in January, but they’re cropping up again.
In 2018, Portia de Rossi bought her wife, Ellen DeGeneres a conservation park for endangered gorillas to celebrate Ellen’s 60th birthday. For the season finale of Ellen’s show, Portia flew Ellen to Rwanda to see the new park. The couple couldn’t have looked happier.
So it was surprising that in 2019, rumors started cropping up that Portia de Rossi, Ellen DeGeneres’ wife, was unhappy in their marriage. Sources close to the couple said that de Rossi publicly broke down due to marital problems, with tears and mascara running down her face.
Portia de Rossi was “unfazed”
Ellen DeGeneres’ wife responded to the rumors in Us Weekly. While she denied them, she also said she was happy to see them crop up. To her, the rumors are proof that she and Ellen DeGeneres are being treated like every other Hollywood couple in the media.
In 2008, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi’s wedding was a big deal. Same-sex marriage wasn’t legalized in al 50 states and only one state, Massachusetts, allowed same-sex couples to get married.
Thus, when Portia de Rossi heard the rumors about her and wife Ellen DeGeneres’ split, she was relieved. She explains in her statement in Us Weekly: “I know it sounds ridiculous, but when that started happening I thought, ‘Oh, now we’re finally accepted.’ We get the same sh*t as every celebrity couple.”
It’s 2020
So why are the rumors about Ellen DeGeneres resurfacing? A source close to the couple said the reason for the split was twofold. First, Ellen DeGeneres’ busy schedule and second, DeGeneres’ controlling behavior.
Rumors are unfolding that Ellen DeGeneres’ behavior isn’t as nice as it is when she’s on camera. Former employees, including her bodyguard, came forward with stories about how she’s a diva when the cameras stop. She’s also being accused of not paying her staff’s dues.
Coupled with Ellen DeGeneres’ gaffe comparing her multi-million dollar mansion to “being in prison,” and DeGeneres isn’t having a great year. She’s had a reputation for being domineering with her staff, but for the last few years, it’s gone over the edge. It may be getting to her wife, Portia de Rossi, as well.
$450 million divorce
If the couple splits, there will be a hefty price tag. Ellen DeGeneres is worth a lot of money. Between her show, furniture empire, clothing empire, acting career, and flipping houses for fun & profit, DeGeneres has a lot of revenue streams, contributing to a net worth of $490 million.
$490 million and $450 is apparently on the line if Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi split. That’s a big chunk of net worth that Ellen DeGeneres could lose in the split. That is if Ellen is the one to file, and not her wife, Portia.
Secret house
Could this be the end of a prominent, trailblazing marriage, or is it just rumors? While sources indicate the couple is going through a rough patch, Portia de Rossi’s insistence that she and her wife, Ellen DeGeneres aren’t divorcing, keeps this rumor in the rumor category.
While the rumors still circulate, the one that sticks out is Ellen DeGeneres purchasing a $27 million home under an alias, without telling her wife. While the rumors point to Portia de Rossi being unhappy, some tabloid headlines indicate Ellen DeGeneres storming out and being unhappy as well.