Ellen DeGeneres begins her gray hair transformation upon returning to California

Ellen DeGeneres seems to be working her way through the color wheel when it comes to her hair.

The 66-year-old retired talk show host was spotted with a fresh cut and gray tone on Jan. 14 in Montecito, Calif., just over 90 miles from the Los Angeles wildfires.

In photos taken by paparazzi and published by E! NewsDeGeneres wears blue skinny jeans, a dark gray sweater, a pair of Stan Smith sneakers and aviator sunglasses.

While her street style outfit wasn’t unusual for the comedian, its gray color was a surprising change since she had just ditched her recognizable blonde hair in favor of dark brown in November 2024.

The former sitcom lead was seen spending time as a brunette in an Instagram video posted by singer Natalie Imbruglia. DeGeneres, her wife Portia de Rossi and the “Wrong Impression” artist were enjoying live music at Jeremy Clarkson’s pub in Burford, England.

DeGeneres’ return to California comes as a shock as she was thought to have crossed the Atlantic to settle in the Cotswolds with her partner after the US presidential election.

Although DeGeneres has yet to confirm whether she and de Rossi are living permanently in the UK, she has previously hinted at her desire to escape.

During a July 2024 stand-up in Santa Rosa, California, the on-screen star told the crowd, “This is the last time you’ll see me.” After my Netflix special, I’m done.

DeGeneres’ eagerness to stay out of the public eye comes after she was accused of fostering a toxic workplace throughout the 19 seasons of her eponymous talk show.

Two years before the show ends in May 2022, BuzzFeed News released a report detailing the accounts of several people who had worked for DeGeneres on the show or were still employed by her.

It wasn’t until May 2021 that DeGenres finally spoke out to address complaints against her and the show’s workplace. Speaking to Savannah Gutherie on TodayDeGeneres said: “I really didn’t understand; I still don’t understand. It was too orchestrated; it was too coordinated.

The actor later addressed the controversy on his Netflix show, For your approvalreleased on the streaming service in September 2024.

“I was kicked out of show business. You can’t be mean and be in show business. No, they will throw you out. There are no bad people in show business,” she said.