Ellen DeGeneres has stepped away from the spotlight—and now she’s grappling with a painful situation.
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi have shared a widely admired relationship characterized by love, support, and resilience. They first met in 2000 and began dating in 2004, quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s most high-profile same-sex couples.
Their relationship was publicly celebrated when they married in 2008, shortly after same-sex marriage was legalized in California.
Throughout the years, they’ve often spoken about how they bring out the best in each other, with Portia supporting Ellen through her career highs and controversies, and Ellen consistently praising Portia’s strength and creativity.
Now, after fleeing Hollywood together – in the wake of Ellen’s workplace scandal which saw the couple retreat to the English countryside – the former talk show titan revealed that their beloved rescue dog Augie has passed away.
The announcement came through a heartfelt Instagram post on May 16.
“We had to say goodbye to Augie yesterday,” Ellen wrote. “We rescued him 12 years ago and he was so grateful. He gave us so much love. He will be missed. There will never be another like him.”
Augie, a Beagle-Chihuahua mix, had been part of Ellen and wife Portia de Rossi’s fur family for over a decade.
The couple, married since 2008, also have two other dogs—Kid, a Poodle-Maltese mix, and Mrs. Wallis Browning, a purebred Poodle—plus two tuxedo cats, George and Chairman.
From Red Carpets to Rolling Hills
Since selling their $32 million Montecito mansion in 2024, Ellen and Portia have embraced a quieter life in the UK. The move followed Donald Trump’s presidential win in November last year. Though they initially settled in the Cotswolds, flooding from Storm Bert forced them to relocate to another property nearby in Oxfordshire.
Fans recently saw a glimpse of Ellen’s new life when she shared a clip of herself mowing grass with a caption: “Portia thought it would be fun to film my first time on the mower. She was right.” She also debuted a dramatic new look—trading in her signature blonde pixie for brunette locks.
Remembering Augie
Ellen’s tribute didn’t stop with just words. She posted a slideshow of photos featuring Augie throughout the years—snuggling with Portia, lounging under the sun, and hanging out in their kitchen. Days later, she returned to Instagram with a message for her 136 million followers: “Thank you for all of your kind messages about Augie.”
She also posted an emotional video clip recorded just weeks before Augie’s death. It featured the dog sleeping in Portia’s lap while Ellen chatted about her skincare line, Kind Science. The post concluded with Ellen saying, “I don’t care what Portia says, please don’t call me the Deal Queen. We love you, Augie.”
While Portia hasn’t spoken publicly about the loss, she’s known for keeping a low profile online.
Life After Daytime TV
Ellen has remained relatively low-key since ending The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2022 following nearly 20 years on air. The workplace misconduct scandal that erupted in 2020 prompted Ellen to reflect. “I have to just trust that whatever happened during that time, which was obviously very, very difficult, happened for a reason,” she told The Hollywood reporter
In 2024, she returned briefly to the spotlight with a Netflix special titled Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval, but it received lukewarm reception, pulling in a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
