Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi cop huge $8m+ loss on last US home
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi are set for a massive loss on one of their last remaining US homes, knocking $US5.4 million ($A8.2 million) off their original asking price.
The comedian, who is currently living in an $US18 million ($A28 million) farmhouse in the Cotswolds, about two hours outside of London, initially put the sprawling home on the market in May 2024 for $US33.9 million ($A53.9 million), Realtor reports.
With no sign of a buyer, the house was delisted three months later and remained off the market through the end of 2024.
After news of their move was made public, the couple relisted the home in January with a reduced price of $US29.99 million ($A47.8 million) — just $900,000 more than what they paid for it in 2022.
But even that discount failed to attract buyers, and the residence was once again taken off the market in May.
Now it's back, with a significantly reduced price of $US28.5 million ($A43.7 million), exactly half a million under the pair's purchase price.
It's believed the property is one of the last remaining homes DeGeneres and de Rossi currently own in the US.
'Toxic' Ellen's final $8m insult to US exposed
The couple have sold several properties over the past year since moving to the British countryside.
The duo recently sold a two-bedroom in Montecito for $US5.2 million ($A8.2 million), more than $US200,000 ($A312,000) over its $US4.995 million ($A7.9 million) asking price.
The property flew off the market less than two weeks after it was listed in March this year, around four months after DeGeneres and de Rossi moved to the UK.
However, the success they had with that home has not translated to the Neutra property, which sat on the market for 109 days before its listing was removed.
A sale would mark only the fourth time the property has changed hands since it was built in 1955 by famous Austrian-American architect Richard Neutra, having been owned by the same family for 40 years until finally being sold for the first time in 1994.
That owner, who purchased the modernist home for the bargain price of just $US1.42 million, held onto the property for a further 25 years before putting it on the market in 2019, when it sold for $US20 million.
Three years later, DeGeneres and de Rossi added the five-bedroom pad to their already-impressive property portfolio, paying out $US29 million for the dwelling.
They have since renovated the home extensively, helping to restore Neutra's 'pioneering vision,' while also adding a host of modern-day amenities.
Per the listing description, the home, which is widely known as 'The Brown House,' has plenty to offer a potential buyer, not least the architectural caché that comes from owning a Neutra design.
'Originally crafted in 1955 by the renowned Richard Neutra, [the house] stands as a quintessential architectural masterpiece nestled in the prestigious enclave of Bel Air,' the listing states.
'One of the most iconic homes to be built, it has undergone a meticulous restoration, thoughtfully revering Neutra's pioneering vision while integrating modern luxuries. A true encapsulation of living in a work of art.'
The home also offers sweeping views of the Los Angeles skyline, as well as two 'state-of-the-art' kitchens and a sizeable living area.
'This is a rare opportunity to acquire a piece of architectural heritage, offering a lifestyle marked by grandeur and exclusivity in one of the most coveted locations,' the listing concludes.
Their struggle to find a buyer for the property has not held the couple back from investing in new real estate in the UK, where they are understood to have snapped up an $US18 million ($A28 million) farmhouse in 2024, according to People magazine.
Since then, the couple — who made a second career out of flipping homes in and around California while they were living in Montecito — have been carrying out extensive renovations to the abode, which have landed them in some hot water with their neighbours.
According to the Daily Mail, DeGeneres found herself 'in peril of getting on the wrong side' of a high-profile member of her new neighbourhood after she 'committed a 'technical breach'' during the build of a single-story extension at her new home. The outlet described it as a 'planning clash'.
Several neighbours voiced their objections to the couple's plans.
Despite the protests, a spokesperson for West Oxfordshire Direct Council insisted that the work was 'completed to a high standard,' according to the New York Post.
'The works at the property involved a single-story extension and garden landscaping,' the spokesperson said.
'Although the extension technically breached permitted development rights, it was considered acceptable in planning terms.
'As the works were completed to a high standard with no impact on surrounding amenities or other planning concerns, no further enforcement action was necessary, and the case has been closed.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Golden Girls producer claims Bea Arthur called Betty White a ‘c**t' and never ‘warmed up' to her on set
Bea Arthur and Betty White allegedly did not get along during their Golden Girls era. Co-producer Marsha Posner Williams addressed the long-rumoured, frosty relationship between the two during a Pride LIVE! Hollywood panel in Los Angeles on Thursday night. 'When that red light was on [and the show was filming], there were no more professional people than those women, but when the red light was off, those two couldn't warm up to each other if they were cremated together,' Williams shared, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Williams claimed that Arthur (who portrayed Dorothy Zbornak on the hit show) even called her up at home one time to complain about running into that 'c**t' [White] at the grocery store and wanting to 'write her a letter.' 'I said, 'Bea, just get over it for crying out loud. Just get past it,'' she recalled. Apparently, Arthur referred to White (who played Rose Nylund) by the c-word on multiple occasions. The producer remembered being invited to Arthur's home for dinner and 'within 30 seconds of walking in the door, the c-word came out.' Williams also noted that White — who died in December 2021 at the age of 99 — would often break character in the middle of the show and talk to the live audience, which 'Bea hated.' Another co-producer, Jim Vallely, theorised that the enmity was due to White getting more applause during cast introductions ahead of tapings. Williams disagreed, however, noting that Arthur — who died in 2009 at the age of 86 — despised doing publicity and came from a theatrical background while White was from the world of television. Back in 2023, former casting director Joel Thurm exclusively told Page Six that Arthur had called White a 'c**t' on set — but theorised that it was because Arthur and castmate Rue McClanahan (who portrayed Blanche Devereaux) disliked White's behaviour toward the fourth member of the cast, Estelle Getty (who played Sophia Petrillo). 'When Estelle would forget her lines, Betty would go out of character and keep the audience laughing by making a gesture with her thumb to her mouth and pointing to Estelle as if she had been drinking,' Thurm wrote in his memoir, Sex, Drugs & Pilot Season. The gesture seemed particularly cruel as Getty was beginning to show signs of dementia and struggled to remember her lines, which were hidden on cue cards. Thurm told Page Six he didn't believe White intended to be harsh, however, and was just trying to entertain the audience. The Golden Girls, which ran from 1985 to 1992, ended after seven seasons allegedly because of Arthur, Williams claimed. 'Their contracts were up and … the executives went to the ladies, and Estelle said, 'Yes, let's keep going,' and Rue said, 'Yes, let's keep going,' and Betty said, 'Yes, let's keep going.' And Bea said, 'No f***ing way,' and that's why that show didn't continue,' she alleged.
SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
Amid violent clashes with police over ICE raids, one community is flocking to LA
In downtown LA during the ICE raid protests, drag queen Lil Miss Hot Mess stands defiantly in sequins and feathers, a striking contrast to the celebration and sanctuary found in West Hollywood during Pride month. Source: Supplied / Lil Miss Hot Mess Los Angeles is a sprawling city that has long attracted artists, migrants, activists, and queer folk, searching for a sense of safety and freedom. West Hollywood in the city's north-west, in particular, has stood apart as a cultural and political sanctuary for LGBTIQ+ people for decades. Today, that legacy feels both vital and increasingly complex. Protests erupted earlier this month in response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting undocumented immigrants in LA's Downtown and Latino neighbourhoods, such as Paramount. In the weeks since, clashes with police, the unprecedented deployment of the national guard and growing fear among immigrant communities have created an atmosphere of unrest and uncertainty. But West Hollywood feels worlds apart. While only a few kilometres away from neighbourhoods targeted by ICE, culturally and politically, West Hollywood, or WeHo, functions like its own city. It's a place with rainbow-painted crosswalks and a long-standing commitment to queer liberation. At a time of mounting social discord in the United States, and in the middle of International Pride Month, West Hollywood continues to draw queer and trans people from across the country, particularly those fleeing conservative states where LGBTIQ+ rights are under attack. For many, this small pocket of LA still offers a sense of safety, joy and belonging. On a warm evening in mid-May, the hum of conversation and clinking glasses fills WeHo's One Gallery. It's the anticipated calm before the glitter storm as patrons eagerly await their hosts' grand entrance: The crowd is an eclectic mix of activists, members of the drag community and local politicians, including West Hollywood mayor Chelsea Lee Byers. Mounted on the wall above them are archival photos of drag legends, including a very young RuPaul, Charles Pierce and Jackie Beat. It's the opening reception for It's Where I Belong: 40 Years (and More) of Drag in West Hollywood, a new exhibition hosted by the One Institute, celebrating four decades of drag culture in the city. The exhibition's curator is drag performer, children's book author, and university professor Lil Miss Hot Mess, who just a few weeks before was publicly labelled a "monster" and a "child predator" by controversial Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene . The remarks came during a hearing in which Greene pushed to defund public broadcasters PBS and NPR, accusing the outlets of acting as "radical left-wing echo chambers" and of "grooming and sexualising children". Lil Miss Hot Mess tells SBS News she isn't surprised by the remarks. "The unfortunate irony of Greene's political bullying is that while she claims to promote liberty, in reality, she just wants to tell us all what to think and do. That's not freedom, that's fascism," she says. When people say we don't want to have drag, guess what they're gonna get? More drag. The exhibition offers a vivid reminder that West Hollywood has long served as both a creative epicentre and a sanctuary for queer communities. Yet, for many who now call WeHo home, that sense of refuge extends beyond art and performance. Increasingly, queer and trans folks are fleeing red states (Republican stronghold states), such as Arkansas and Alabama, where anti-LGBTIQ+ legislation has taken centre stage and finding solace among the rainbow flags lining Santa Monica Boulevard. For some, that journey means uprooting entire lives and families; for others, it's a gradual migration or simply an annual visit during Pride, in search of acceptance, safety and a community that feels like home. "West Hollywood has long been a safe destination for queer people, who were a central constituency in the city-within-a-city's founding forty years ago," Lil Miss Hot Mess says. "Over the past four decades, drag has really flourished as an art form in WeHo, from iconic nightclubs … to community activism and fundraising." Tony Valenzuela, executive director of One Institute, is a leading activist and thought leader in the HIV/AIDS and LGBTIQ+ communities. He is also openly vocal about his HIV positive status, after receiving his diagnosis in 1995. "I was constantly around mostly gay men who were dying," Valenzuela says. "I saw it as a death sentence for myself." But far from it. Valenzuela's activism following his diagnosis has earned him two listings in the OUT100 list, representing the country's most influential LGBTIQ+ leaders. Speaking on the recent funding cuts impacting queer communities and renewed political assaults on LGBTIQ+ rights across the country under President Donald Trump, Valenzuela says the sentiment among the queer community is familiar. "This feels like the 90s all over again," he says, referencing the alienating impact the HIV/AIDS epidemic had on the community. The latest US federal budget proposal slashes funding for LGBTIQ+ initiatives, including diversity, equity and inclusion programs, transgender healthcare access and HIV/AIDS services, amounting to roughly US$2.67 billion ($4.11 billion) in cuts. When Rory Hayes thinks of Chicago, where they came out as lesbian at age 10 — several years before they realised they were trans non-binary — they are flooded with bittersweet memories. "Chicago today is very queer-friendly, but when I was a kid, I faced hostile conversations from a mum who thought public school was making me 'think these ideas'," Hayes says. "At 12, I was sent to conversion therapy disguised as a weight-loss camp. "It taught me that wanting to be myself was wrong. So when that same city saw a violent attack on lesbians near Wrigleyville, even if it was isolated, it felt like a sign that I didn't truly belong." When Hayes later decided to move to LA at 17, they never looked back. I felt a hundred per cent more like myself. I wasn't around anything that reminded me of those places where I felt unsafe. "West Hollywood felt very queer, objectively safe. Now, with anti-trans bills cropping up nationwide, I'm encouraging more folks to spend their time here or even move," they said. One of the most urgent reasons queer trans people are relocating to West Hollywood is to access to gender-affirming care . California's laws are overtly supportive of it, while other states — notably those with a Republican majority — are increasingly restricting access. To date, 27 states in the US have passed laws banning gender-affirming care. Medicaid, a joint federal and state program that provides subsidised healthcare to some people with limited income and resources, covers hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for trans youth and adults, and California has explicit protections for providers. Whereas states like Texas have passed bills criminalising doctors prescribing HRT to minors, and Florida's 'Parents' Bill of Rights' has led to hospitals being investigated for treating trans youth. "Even if they [trans people] come for the medical access, like Medicaid coverage for HRT, they often stay [in WeHo] for the community," Hayes says. They add that, for many, a single prescription or hormone injection can become the first step towards rebuilding their lives, and WeHo offers both the care they need and an unbroken network of support. "I still miss my hometown, but I needed to be in a place that actively lifts queer stories. West Hollywood lets me be seen," Hayes says. Just a few blocks away from One Gallery, Fangirl Café pulses with a different kind of energy. Since opening in November 2023, the married queer couple, Cynthia and Betsy, has built the little coffee shop into a haven for women, queer, and non-binary music fans tired of bar culture. The pair requested that SBS News withhold their surnames for safety reasons. "During COVID, Betsy was bartending at music venues, and I was working from home," Cynthia says. "We kept meeting in random coffee shops, looking for a space to connect, especially for queer women. But WeHo, for all its queerness, lacked a spot like this." Inside the café on a quiet weekday, vinyl spins in the corner, and a small stage stands ready for acoustic sets, drag karaoke, and album listening parties. "We wanted to centre music and 90s nostalgia, uplift queer and non-binary artists, photographers, videographers," Cynthia says. "Our approach was simple: be honest about what we can provide, and the right crowd will find us. Since launch, people have come for coffee and stayed for community." Seeing trans friends hug and cry on our couches, telling us 'thank you for this space' makes every late night worth it. But running a small business in WeHo isn't without its struggles. "There's so much political anxiety. Trans identities are literally being erased, and the current climate means that people are more comfortable being outwardly and unwarrantedly hateful," Betsy says. "And sometimes there's anxiety: will queer funding dry up? If someone can't afford coffee, can they still find support here?" Despite lingering concerns about further cuts to LGBTIQ+ focused initiatives, the community in WeHo has rallied. Betsy says it's a testament to their resilience that "queer spaces can flourish even under pressure". "One regular posted online asking how they can help keep our space running when things get tough financially. Another trans guest set up a letter-writing event here when politics got heavy. "It's proof, for us, this isn't just a business, it's a safe space people rely on."
Daily Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
TV star abruptly ends interview: ‘Hanging up'
Don't miss out on the headlines from Reality. Followed categories will be added to My News. Teresa Giudice unceremoniously cut off an interview when asked about tax liens totalling over $US3 million ($4.6 million). In a clip shared via X Friday, the Real Housewives of New Jersey star, 53, fielded questions from local anchor Larry Potash at WGN9 in Chicago during a remote interview. 'How is it that a family doesn't pay their taxes for years?' Potash asked. 'Is that what the fraud charges were?' 'Um, who's – what family are you talking about?' the Bravo star asked, to which he replied, 'Your family.' Teresa Giudice abruptly ended a TV interview after she was asked a tax fraud question. 'OK,' Giudice said before attempting to end the video stream. 'Let's just hang up. That's it,' she said. Text reading 'Teresa's iPhone' could then be seen on the screen as the call ended. 'She didn't like that question,' marvelled Potash. 'Yeah. Well,' responded his co-anchor in the awkward clip. In an X re-post of the video, Potash quipped, 'In the words of one of our viewers, she evaded that question like …taxes.' Teresa, who was jailed for fraud charges in 2015, was not impressed with the question and immediately hung up. A black screen soon appeared, much to the shock of the hosts. Giudice owes $US303,889.20 ($470,000) in tax liens, according to documents obtained by Page Six back in March. Her husband, Louis 'Luis' Ruelas, whom she married in 2022, owes upwards of $US2.6 million ($4 million). The former Dancing With the Stars star was married to Joe Giudice for 20 years before their 2020 split. And prior to that, both served time in prison for mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud. Teresa was behind bars for 11 months in 2015. Joe, meanwhile, spent two years in prison before being released in 2019 and subsequently deported to his birthplace of Italy. Teresa served 11 months behind bars for mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud. Picture:/AFP Her now ex -husband husband Joe Giudice served two years in prison in the US before being deported to Italy in 2019. Picture: Getty Images Teresa (centre) has been a mainstay cast member on The Real Housewives of New Jersey since Season 1 in 2009. Picture: Tommy Garcia/Bravo The former couple shares daughters Gia, Gabriella, Milania and Audriana. Teresa's lookalike daughter Gia, 24, downplayed the family debt during a March episode of her Casual Chaos iHeart podcast. 'Let's start from the beginning,' she said. 'My mum has been the sole provider for my sisters and I since the minute my father [Joe] left for prison. The second my mum got home from jail, she has been working her arse off to make sure that my sisters and I live a stable life and that my family is financially stable.' Gia continued, saying she 'can't stress enough' how hard her 'mum has worked' and assured her listeners that 'everything will be resolved.' 'My mum has everything under control, and there's nothing to worry about,' she explained. This article originally appeared in Page Six and was reproduced with permission Originally published as Real Housewives star Teresa Giudice abruptly ends live TV interview when asked personal question
