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| - Although the claim that Gere was "following" Ellen DeGeneres in leaving the U.S. – implying he was leaving due to Trump's reelection – originated on a satirical site, Gere has publicly discussed his family's move to Spain. Gere's wife, Alejandra Silva, is from Spain and Gere said the move is "for her family, her friends, her culture."
In the wake of unsubstantiated rumors that comedian Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, actor Portia de Rossi, were moving to the U.K. because of President-elect Donald Trump's reelection, claims that actor Richard Gere was "following" the retired comedian in leaving the U.S. spread online. For example, Facebook account SpaceX Fanclub posted the following on Nov. 26, 2024:
Richard Gere followed Ellen and is moving to Spain! Hollywood Elites are hiding
(Facebook account SpaceX Fanclub)
Variations of the rumor spread on Threads and X as well.
Some readers seemed to interpret the rumor as a factual recounting of real-life events. However, there was no evidence that Gere would be leaving the U.S. for the same reason people online were claiming DeGeneres moved.
Gere has publicly confirmed that he and his family would be moving to Spain, but he did not say that they were moving because of Trump's reelection. In a Nov. 20, 2024, appearance on the "Today" show, he said his wife, Alejandra Silva, is Spanish, and they are moving there "for her family, her friends, her culture."
The rumor that he "followed" DeGeneres in leaving the U.S. originated with Space X Fanclub — a social media site that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature. Its bio states:
We post SATIRE, nothing on this page is real.
Space X Fanclub has a history of making up stories for shares and comments.
Snopes has addressed similar satirical claims related to celebrities such as Bruce Springsteen, Robert De Niro, Megan Rapinoe and others leaving the U.S. after Trump's reelection.
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.
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