Stars who left Hollywood
Ellen DeGeneres
The Ellen DeGeneres Show host’s eponymous talk show ended in 2022 after a 19-season run amid allegations of a toxic work environment that prompted an internal investigation, multiple firings of executives and public ire.
Ellen returned to the spotlight for her final standup special For Your Approval, which released on Netflix in September 2024. During the lead-up to that special, she revealed she would be leaving Hollywood altogether.
“This is the last time you’re going to see me,” she told a crowd during her Ellen’s Last Stand…Up tour, per SFGate. “After my Netflix special, I’m done.”
Ellen and her wife Portia de Rossi have since moved to England, where they relocated in November 2024 after Donald Trump‘s reelection, the talk show host confirmed to broadcaster Richard Bacon in July 2025.
“So I have this ice cream company, SMiZE and Dream,” Tyra explained on an April 2025 episode of Today with Jenna & Friends. “But we’ve been more what we call B2B, like on an airplane and on cruises. I’ve been going to Australia a lot because we were making a lot of our ice cream there in a big facility doing our recipes. And I just fell in love with it every time I went back and went back.”
Not only was she happy there, but she also knew it was a good market for her business.
“The three countries that eat the most ice cream?” she continued. “America, New Zealand and Australia.”
So, the supermodel moved to Australia with her son York (his dad is her ex Erik Asla) and boyfriend Louis Bélanger-Martin, noting, “Australia has been a dream come true for me and my family.”
“I had my whole adult life here,” Eva told Marie Claire in November 2024 about leaving Los Angeles. “But even before [the pandemic], it was changing. The vibe was different. And then Covid happened, and it pushed it over the edge. Whether it’s the homelessness or the taxes, not that I want to s–t on California—it just feels like this chapter in my life is done now.”
So for the past few years, the actress, her husband José Bastón and their son Santiagohave split their time between Mexico and Spain.
“I’m privileged,” she continued. “I get to escape and go somewhere. Most Americans aren’t so lucky. They’re going to be stuck in this dystopian country, and my anxiety and sadness is for them.”
However, Eva noted her move wasn’t because of President Trump’s re-election.
“I didn’t leave because of the political environment,” the Flamin’ Hot director said on The View: Behind the Table podcast in November 2024. “I left because my work took me there since Land of Women—shooting six months in Catalonia, then four months in Mexico for Searching for Mexico, then back to Spain. Now I’ve been there for years. So I just don’t like that it’s politicized.”
Since moving, Eva has continued to stay busy, with recent projects including her roles in Only Murders in the Building and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip.
“My wife is Spanish, and she gave me about seven years here,” Richard said of Galicia native Alejandra Silva on a November 2024 episode
He also expressed his excitement over what the move would give the couple’s young sons Alexander and James.
“Our kids are bilingual,” Richard, who also has an adult son Homer with ex Carey Lowell, added, “so they’re going to flourish there.”
Indeed
“The truth is that you are seeing us in our momentum,” The Agency: Central Intelligence star told January 2025. “We are happier than ever.”
“My husband is French, and we’ve been together for over seven or eight years,” Christina, who is ahead. It’s a nice, healthy balance for me.”
So, she set the record straight while looking back at her hectic work schedule and partying in the aughts.
“I feel like some of [my work] got overshadowed by paparazzi and all that kind of stuff when I was younger, and that’s kind of annoying,” The Parent TraMarch 2024. “I wish that part didn’t happen. I feel like that kind of took on a life of its own. So that’s why I wanted to disappear. I was like, ‘Unless there’s no story here, they’re not going to focus on just my work.'”
Lindsay moved abroad—first to London then to Dubai (also opening beach clubs in Greece). However, there was another reason she sought a life away from the spotlight.
“I was like, ‘What if I never fall in love? What if this never
They still live in Dubai, but the Freaky Fridayactress hasn’t left the Hollywood industry completely, starring in movies like Our Little Secret, Irish Wish and Freakier Friday.
“Hollywood is more than a place; it’s like a state of mind,” the Black Mirror business, your life is going to be pretty much one note. And I’ve never wanted that.”
Instead, he wanted more.
“I’ve always wanted to be around … people generally doing lots of other things that would bring my mind off of my work and force me to grow in different directions,” Josh added. “To me, that’s the spice of life.”
So, the Black Hawk Down alum, his wife Tamsin Egerton and their four kids moved to England’s Hampshire 2024. “With four children, you have so much to do. In a way, less is happening. But more of the important stuff is happening.”
Still, Josh has stayed plenty busy and landed roles in Verity, Fight or Flight and Trap.
And while he’s an Oscar nominee, he lives a pretty normal life with his wife Anna Strout and son Banner.
“I’m not on social media, and I’m not a person who’s on the phone with industry people all the time,” Jesse also shared. “So, my life feels pretty separate. My wife is a teacher. My kid doesn’t really even watch movies. So, I’m not like knee-deep in the world of constantly trying to assess my own status in an industry.”
