Ex-Talk Show Titan Ellen DeGeneres Accused of 'T-Boning' Another Car After Allegedly Running Through a Stop Sign Leading to 'Serious Injuries'
Ellen DeGeneres is accused of running a stop sign, causing a crash.
Sept. 13 2025, Published 1:00 p.m. ET
Ellen DeGeneres is facing a negligence lawsuit stemming from a 2023 car accident in California, with a woman alleging the former talk show host caused a collision by running a stop sign, RadarOnline.com can report.
According to court documents obtained by multiple outlets, the incident took place on October 16, 2023, in Santa Barbara County. The plaintiff claims DeGeneres, 67, drove through a stop sign and "t-boned" her vehicle.
The Complaint
A driver claims Ellen ran a stop sign and hit another female driver.
The complaint states: "Ellen DeGeneres entered the intersection without stopping at the stop sign." The intersection, according to the lawsuit, is "controlled by stop signs in all directions".
The woman alleges she had come to a complete stop and ensured there were no approaching vehicles before entering the intersection. She claims DeGeneres then "suddenly and without any warning" collided with her car.
'Negligent Conduct'
The woman alleges the former daytime host entered the intersection without stopping.
The lawsuit accuses the comedian of exhibiting "negligent conduct [that] fell below the standard of care of a reasonable person", and argues DeGeneres "negligently caused, or contributed to causing plaintiff's vehicle to be collided with by the defendants' vehicle".
The plaintiff asserts she sustained "multiple serious personal injuries and damages" as a result of the crash. She further claims she has lost wages, accumulated medical and hospital expenses, and suffered "loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress and anxiety". She is seeking unspecified compensatory damages for general negligence.
Stepping Away
Ellen DeGeneres stepped away from the limelight after her daytime show ended.
The lawsuit marks a new legal challenge for the television star, who stepped away from her long-running daytime program in 2022 after allegations of a toxic workplace environment surfaced.
Following the conclusion of her final U.S. comedy tour later that year, DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, began spending increasing amounts of time in England.
Ellen in the U.K.
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Ellen recently relocated to the United Kingdom.
The couple initially purchased what DeGeneres described as a "part-time house" in the Cotswolds, intending to split their time between the United States and the U.K. But in November 2023, shortly after Donald Trump's return to the presidency, they decided to relocate permanently.
"Yes. We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, 'He got in'. And we're like, 'We're staying here,'" DeGeneres said in July.
Reflecting on life in rural England, she added: "We're just not used to seeing this kind of beauty. The villages and the towns and the architecture — everything you see is charming, and it's just a simpler way of life. It's clean. Everything here is just better — the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here."
