Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi amassed a fortune thanks to this 'hobby' before moving to the UK in 2024

Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi have bought, renovated and sold more than 34 homes in the US since the mid-2000s, and made a fortune of $190 million from the business. Following their move to the UK, Ellen and Portia de Rossi listed their first UK farmhouse for sale. Ellen DeGeneres spoke out on how her hobby of architecture and interiors grew into a business of home flipping, with her wife Portia de Rossi. DeGeneres spoke exclusively to the Wall Street Journal about her life as a renovator and entrepreneur, telling them everything from the costs of renovation deals to what life is like in the UK countryside.

Their business venture has seen the couple buy more than 34 homes since the mid-2000s, renovating and reselling them in a matter of months, with the couple claiming to have earned around $190 million from these sales.

The couple continued their property dealings in the UK, where they relocated at the end of 2024. Ellen and Portia de Rossi bought a farmhouse, which they had to renovate before deciding to sell it as they found another property more suitable to their needs - especially as the new residence will provide space for Portia de Rossi's horses.

How Ellen DeGeneres turned home flipping into a business?

DeGeneres told the Journal that home renovation became a more regular feature of her life during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, as she had the time to devote to property buying and renovating. The couple purchased at least five properties in the comedian's star year, before renovating and selling them to new owners.

They bought at least another eight properties in 2021 and 2022. Their work typically involves spotting a house, renovating its interior and then selling it again for a higher price.

Depending on the extent of the work, this can range from design work through to renovation and even involve architecture. While the couple have sometimes made a loss on such schemes, overall they have earned a significant profit.

DeGeneres has also become familiar with the process involved in renovation work, as well as managing staff. Harley Neuman, DeGeneres' business manager, told the Journal that the $190 million number they quoted was not their total earnings.

Why the $190 million profit doesn't tell the full story?

The $190 million figure they quoted does not factor in the costs of buying properties, renovating them, and then selling them on. Neuman pointed out that the costs of renovation were significant, saying that there were always bills to pay as well as contractors and designers to employ.

He added that there were always large teams involved in every home renovation deal. As well as renovation costs, DeGeneres also spends money on furnishing the renovated houses.

According to Neuman, DeGeneres often buys furnishings for the property she is renovating, before selling these along with the house.

He noted that the furnishings were not cheap, explaining that DeGeneres often stripped out artworks from the walls, but left most of the furnishings behind when selling the house. This also means that the couple do not end up with a significant profit.

On top of this, Neuman suggested that DeGeneres might have executed some 50 property renovations in total. DeGeneres claimed that her love of home renovation and design was not born from a dissatisfaction with her properties - it came from her love of furniture and architecture.

She told the Wall Street Journal in her interview that different styles of properties required different styles of furnishings. As the comedienne explains, a modern house requires one set of furnishings, while a mid-century house requires another.

She adds that buying a house is a chance to invest, decorate it and then sell it. She explained, the field might well have been her profession had her television career not worked out. She told the Journal that she had an interest in interior design since childhood.