Celebrities Who Reside in Montecito

No other town captures the effortlessly chic California vibe as well as Montecito. With natural elements, breathtaking stretches of coastline, and peace, quiet, and privacy everywhere you go, it’s no wonder celebrities are gravitating towards the beautiful Montecito in Santa Barbara.

What once was somewhat of a hidden gem in Santa Barbara is now getting more and more attention as celebs dabble in its real estate market. Today, we’re giving you a peek into the exuberant Montecito houses of A-listers. Hollywood royalty and actual royalty alike have chosen to call this slice of paradise their homes, and we can’t help but wonder about the details of their lavish estates.

Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham

Oprah Winfrey has been living in Montecito, California for over two decades already, making her one of the oldest occupants of this luxe neighborhood. The story goes that the iconic talk show host first stepped onto her now estate as a guest, but loved the property so much that she convinced the original owners to sell it to her. Not only did Oprah Winfrey succeed in buying the 42-acre property—lovingly dubbed “The Promised Land”—but she also bought the neighboring horse ranch in 2015 and a third connecting estate from Jeff Bridges in 2019. 

Altogether, Oprah Winfrey’s Montecito home is said to be worth over a hundred million dollars and around 70 acres in total landmass. The large, luxurious property in Montecito is said to house orchards, a koi pond, tennis courts, a pool and pool house, and a two-bedroom guest house. Oprah, if you’re reading this, can we come over? 

Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez

Newlyweds Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez are one of the latest newcomers to this lavish beach town. Grande purchased the dreamy Tudor-style home last year from renowned residents and house flippers Ellen De Generes and Portia de Rossi. In fact, not only did she decide to call this Montecito estate her home, but she also tied the knot on its premises shortly after during a fairytale ceremony.

Ariana Grande’s Montecito house, called the Porter House, spans 5,500 square feet in total and was acquired for nearly seven million dollars in June 2020. Former owner Ellen DeGeneres had completely flipped this historic estate but made sure to keep certain historical elements such as the vaulted ceilings and wood paneling intact. With two bedrooms and three bathrooms, Grande’s Montecito house has a beautiful rustic decor with lots of chic leather touches and a total of five fireplaces that give it a super cozy barn-like vibe.

Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo

Earlier this year, Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo joined their A-list counterparts by purchasing a historic, 1920s mansion in Montecito, California. The starry couple closed the deal on the El Miraval estate—a sprawling compound that dates back almost a century; they reportedly paid almost 23 million dollars for it.

The 5.2-acre property is the work of renowned architect George Washington Smith, who championed the Spanish Colonial Revival-style Santa Barbara is known for in the early 20th century. The main villa-style house on the property holds five of the total nine bedrooms, including a master bedroom with a private terrace overlooking the estate’s grounds and the Pacific Ocean. 

Other structures on Adam Levine’s Montecito property include a movie theater, wine cellar, multiple covered and uncovered patio areas, a tennis court, a swimming pool, a two-bedroom guest house, and a one-bedroom cottage.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi don’t have a house in Montecito, they actually have five. Having bought and sold many multimillion-dollar mansions in the Montecito area over the years, the famous couple has quite the portfolio when it comes to California real estate. 

The latest Ellen DeGeneres Montecito purchase is her third in less than a year—it’s a 2.9 million dollar bungalow built in 1954 near the beautiful Butterfly Beach. Not long before, they had also bought back an estate they sold in 2017 called Rancho San Leandro, dropping almost double the price they had originally paid for it years back.

Given the couple’s track record with buying, flipping, and selling homes for profit as often as they do, we’re sure that we’ll be hearing about another real estate purchase or sale from them again in Montecito soon. Meanwhile, we’ll be in awe of their current stylish estates till the next one comes along. 

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Montecito got quite the buzz when Prince Harry and Meghan Markel decided to relocate there after giving up their official royal titles. Paying 14.7 million dollars for the expensive mansion in mid-2020, the couple chose to make the star-studded celebrity enclave the location for their California home.

The beautiful Mediterranean-style Montecito house has nine bedrooms and many luxurious features such as a rose garden, century-old olive trees, a swimming pool, tennis court, even a children's cottage and a tea house in true English fashion. The anticipated interview conducted by fellow Montecito resident Oprah Winfrey also took place on the grounds of the ex-royal couple’s dreamy home.

As we already know, Harry and Meghan have quite a good company living in Montecito. And with fellow residents like Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom also welcoming a child around the same time, Archie and Lilibet will have the cutest celeb baby playdates as well.

Rob Lowe and Sherryl Berkoff

Rob Lowe and his family have been living in Montecito longer than anyone on the list. But, that doesn’t mean that they haven’t been making any changes to their real estate portfolio since. After living in the same family house for 26 years, which was located right next door to Harry and Meghan Markle, the couple sold the estate to private equity tycoon Jack McGinley with a whopping 42 million dollars in profit. 

Despite selling, Lowe and his partner aren’t looking to move out of the luxurious city just yet. Instead, the couple acquired three more properties in Montecito. The first is not too far from their former home—they completely demolished it to rebuild it from scratch. The second property is a gated fixer-upper from the early 1990s, while the third is a four-leveled mansion right by the beach.