While her long-running talk show may have danced its last awkward jig, don’t assume Ellen DeGeneres is quietly sailing off into the sunset. Hollywood’s most voracious real estate consumer is still up to her old hijinks in swanky Montecito, Calif., where one of her multiple homes has popped up for sale — and the ink on the deed isn’t even dry.
Asking a hefty $13.9 million, the property was acquired by DeGeneres barely four months ago — in late September 2021. The TV stalwart and her longtime wife Portia de Rossi paid $12 million for the estate in an off-market deal, and it appears the couple has given the place a quick cosmetic refresh in their signature chic, laidback style. While notably devoid of color, the home’s interiors are spacious, comfortable, on-trend and filled with natural light.
Despite the premium price tag, this particular DeGeneres house isn’t really a mansion — at least not in the traditional sense. The single-story residence has three bedrooms and four bathrooms within just over 4,700 square feet of living space, a large but not huge number. There’s also a detached studio building that could be a guest suite, gym or WFH office. The flat lot spans about three-quarters of an acre and is landscaped simply, with drought-tolerant natural grasses and wizened olive trees.
Security aficionados will appreciate that the property is located within a discreet and privately gated community in prime Montecito. Built in 2018, the red-tile-roofed structure boasts two distinctly separate bedroom wings — one housing the primary suite, the other sharing two smaller guest bedrooms — connected by an airy central living area. Per the listing, floor-to-ceiling pocket doors blur the line between indoor and outdoor living. The primary suite has dual walk-in closets and dual showers, one a traditional glass-walled affair and the other an outdoor unit, set into a privately walled section of the yard.
For buyers fond of name-dropping, this estate is ideally located. It lies almost immediately next door to the 70+ acre “Promised Land” spread of television titan Oprah Winfrey, and it’s also basically next door to DeGeneres’ current main residence — their $14.3 million historic Rancho San Leandro complex, though don’t be surprised if that place soon pops up for sale, too. After all, she rarely spends more than a year living at one house.
Over the years, DeGeneres has bought and sold dozens of homes from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara — and she’s famously made lots of money while doing it. In the Montecito area alone, the property-crazed mogul and de Rossi have flipped more than 15 homes. Some of their more notable deals include a stunning Montecito estate that they in 2007 for $20 million to ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Several years later, in 2013, they paid another $28.8 million for another Montecito compound that was offloaded five years later for $34 million to Netflix COO Ted Sarandos and his wife Nicole Avant. In fall 2017, they shelled out $7.2 million for a late 1800s Montecito ranch that sold just eight months later for $11 million to Tinder founder Sean Rad (The couple later bought that place back from Rad.)
Also in fall 2017, the couple paid $18.6 million for a waterfront Carpinteria mansion that they lucratively flipped to cosmetics mogul Jamie Kern Lima in summer 2019 for $23 million. That same year, they tossed out $29 million for a Bali-style compound that was flipped in late 2020 for $33.3 million to billionaire Groupon founder Eric Lefkofsky. In August 2020, they paid nearly $27 million for a Tuscan-style Montecito mansion that was resold just weeks later — for a hefty $29 million — to venture capitalist Marc Stad. And in 2020, they paid Dennis Miller $49 million for a Cape Dutch-style mega-compound that they flipped last year for a whopping $55 million to an as-yet-unidentified billionaire buyer.
In addition to their Rancho San Leandro ranch and this for-sale house, the DeGeneres-de Rossi current portfolio also includes a $2.9 million cottage elsewhere in Montecito and an $8.5 million midcentury modern L.A. “crash pad” high in the mountains above Beverly Hills.
Riskin Partners Group at Village Properties holds the listing.
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Image Credit: Blake Bronstad Photography From the street, a stone walkway leads past native plantings on its way to the glass-and-metal entryway.
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Image Credit: Blake Bronstad Photography Inside, the central great room boasts a dual-sided fireplace and towering Steelcase doors.
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Image Credit: Blake Bronstad Photography The moody kitchen is doused in charcoal paint but livened up with a huge window. Naturally, this space has the typical trove of top-of-the-line appliances.
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Image Credit: Blake Bronstad Photography The primary bedroom sports a vaulted ceiling and enough room for a sitting area.
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Image Credit: Blake Bronstad Photography Clad in veiny quartz, the primary bathroom includes separate vanities, clerestory windows and a central shower and soaking tub.
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Image Credit: Blake Bronstad Photography Feel one with nature by using the al fresco shower.
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Image Credit: Blake Bronstad Photography As mentioned, the two guest bedrooms are located in their own wing, on the opposite side of the house from the primary bedroom suite. One of the guest rooms is currently done up as a massage suite.
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Image Credit: Blake Bronstad Photography The formal entryway has a dangling chandelier over what might be a limited edition James Perse teak pool table. (Price: somewhere around $25,000!)
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Image Credit: Blake Bronstad Photography -
Image Credit: Blake Bronstad Photography The detached studio could be a guest or staff bedroom, though it’s currently done up as a home gym.
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Image Credit: Blake Bronstad Photography The property notably lacks a swimming pool, which could be a bit of a disappointment, especially given that this is a nearly $14 million estate in sunny Southern California. Still, the yard is filled with beautifully lush botanicals and tranquil fountains, and the ocean is only a 10 minute drive away.