If you’ve spent any time on social media lately, you’ve probably seen the headlines. The hashtag #RIPEllen starts trending every few months like clockwork. It’s wild. People see a blurry photo or a vague caption and immediately assume the worst. But honestly, if you're looking for the truth about the death of Ellen DeGeneres, here it is: she is very much alive.
She’s actually just living a completely different life than the one we saw for nineteen seasons on daytime TV.
It’s easy to see why the rumors stick. She basically vanished from the Hollywood scene after her talk show wrapped in 2022. When a massive celebrity goes quiet, the internet fills the silence with conspiracies. Some people even confused the tragic passing of her show’s DJ, Stephen "tWitch" Boss, with Ellen herself. That confusion fueled a lot of the initial viral "death" hoaxes that still pop up in 2026.
Why Everyone Is Talking About the Death of Ellen DeGeneres Right Now
Most of the current noise isn't about her actually passing away. It’s about the "death" of her career and her physical move away from the United States.
Back in late 2024, Ellen and her wife, Portia de Rossi, made a pretty drastic move to the English countryside. They settled in the Cotswolds. Ellen told the BBC that the re-election of Donald Trump was the final straw for them. They didn't just want a vacation home; they wanted out.
She’s 67 now.
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That’s a big age for a total life reset.
For a while, she was posting videos of herself riding lawnmowers and hanging out with chickens. It was a far cry from dancing with A-listers in Burbank. But even that "permanent" move didn't last forever. By late 2025 and early 2026, reports started surface that the couple was heading back to Montecito. Turns out, British winters are a lot tougher than Southern California sun.
The Health Battles She Actually Confirmed
While the death reports are fake, Ellen hasn't been silent about her health. In her 2024 Netflix special, For Your Approval, she got surprisingly real.
She shared that she’s dealing with:
- Full-on osteoporosis. She joked about being a "human sandcastle" who could disintegrate in the shower.
- OCD. She realized she had it during therapy sessions while processing the "toxic workplace" scandal.
- ADHD. This makes it hard for her to focus, which she says makes her "well-adjusted" because she forgets what she was obsessing over.
It’s a lot to handle at once.
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She also mentioned "losing her memory," though she framed it within the context of her ADHD and aging. These admissions were some of the most vulnerable moments we've seen from her in years. She admitted that the "mean" label she got during the workplace investigation really hurt her. It devastated her, actually. She spent a long time in therapy trying to handle the "hatred" that came her way.
Where is Ellen in 2026?
The death of Ellen DeGeneres rumors often gain traction because she stopped being "accessible." On the talk show, we saw her every day. Now, we see her in paparazzi shots in London or strolling through Montecito with a new platinum blonde, shaggy haircut.
She’s been selling off properties like crazy.
A Carpinteria estate went for $96 million. A house in Montecito sold for $5.2 million. They even put their $30 million UK farm on the market recently. This kind of massive financial movement often makes people think someone is "settling their affairs," but for Ellen and Portia, it’s just how they’ve always operated—flipping high-end real estate is basically their side hustle.
Is She Coming Back to TV?
Probably not in the way you think.
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She told broadcaster Richard Bacon that while she misses parts of hosting, she doesn't think the old format works anymore. She’s bored, though. She literally said, "I do like my chickens but I’m a little bit bored." That might mean a podcast or a limited series, but her "Last Stand Up" tour was marketed as exactly that—the last time we’d see her on a stage.
People love a comeback story, but Ellen seems content being a "work in progress" away from the cameras.
If you see a post claiming she’s passed away, check the source. Usually, it’s a clickbait site trying to get you to click a link for "health insurance" or "memorial details." It’s a classic scam. As of January 2026, she’s healthy, blonde, and probably looking for her next real estate investment.
Actionable Insights for Navigating Celebrity News:
- Verify with major outlets: If a star of Ellen's magnitude actually died, it would be the lead story on the AP, BBC, and CNN within minutes.
- Check the date: Many "breaking" news stories are old articles from years ago being recirculated by bots.
- Look at their social media: Ellen still posts sporadically on Instagram; if she’s posting about her garden or her wife, the "death" rumors are obviously false.
- Understand the "Exile" factor: When a celebrity moves out of the country, death hoaxes increase because the public no longer sees them in their usual haunts.