“Stars, they’re just like us, right?” This includes making life-changing decisions sometimes for the sake of their families, mental health, work, or simple happiness. Of course, it’s much easier for a celebrity like an actorto pick up and move their entire life to a different country than someone living paycheck to paycheck. Nonetheless, many have done it for varying reasons, some of which the stars have been open about.
From the distaste for the changing political landscape to marrying someone from a different country, heading back to a home country, or even, in the case of Lindsay Lohan, moving to a region (Dubai) because paparazzi are illegal there, there are many stars who now call a completely different country home.
10
Rosie O’Donnell
Lives in Ireland
Rosie O’Donnell was very public about both her decision to move to Ireland and her reasons for doing so. Moving there in January 2025 with her 12-year-old child, she didn’t hide the fact that she felt the political landscape in America didn’t fit with her values. “It’s been heartbreaking to see what’s happening politically and hard for me personally as well,” she said in a TikTok video. “When, you know, it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that’s when we will consider coming back.”
In a more recent TikTok, she continued to talk about her distaste for American politics. This doesn’t mean, of course, that O’Donnell stays away from America altogether. She recently had a guest role in Sex and the Citysequel series And Just Like That…
9
Richard Gere
Lives in Spain
Richard Gere moved to Spain mainly because his wife Alejandra is from there. Speaking to Elle España, he gushed that the couple are very happy there. “She’s happy because she’s at home and I’m happy because if she’s happy, I’m happy.”
Gere, now 75, continues to act adding to his resume of some fantastic movies. He most recently appeared in the series The Agency and will next appear in a movie called The Making Of, which also stars Blake Lively, Diane Keaton, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Many consider Gere to be one of the best actors to have never won an Academy Award. He, however, seems to enjoy his quiet life outside of the spotlight whenever he can.
8
Ellen DeGeneres
Lives in England
Ellen DeGeneres was at the center of a media frenzy and cancel culture when unfavorable reports began to circulate about her alleged behavior. Thus, the timing was right when the talk show host decided to pick up and move to the U.K. following the end of her daytime talk show. She moved to England with her wife Portia de Rossi, and the pair have lived in Cotswolds, a region in Central South West England, since last year.
According to The Wrap, which cited friends of the couple, their decision was allegedly fueled by the election of Donald Trump as President. DeGeneres released a stand-up special for Netflix in 2024 called For Your Approval but has not appeared in any projects since. De Rossi has also presumably taken a break from acting with no projects of note coming any time soon.
7
Eva Longoria
Lives in Spain
Eva Longoria noted back in 2024 that she had been splitting much of her time between the U.S. and Spain as well as Mexico, where her husband is from. She told Marie Claire that after the COVID-19 pandemic, she felt like there was a vibe shift in the U.S. where she had spent much of her adult life. “It just feels like this chapter in my life is done now. I’m privileged. I get to escape and go somewhere.”
She added that most Americans aren’t as lucky and will be “stuck in this dystopian country,” suggesting her decision to move might have had political motivations as well. However, Longoria later clarified to Ana Navarro on her podcast The View: Behind the Table that politics had nothing to do with her decision. She had been working in Europe for almost three years so it made sense to relocate. Along with recently starring in the series Land of Women, which was filmed in Spain, Longoria also had a guest starring role in the fourth season of Only Murders in the Building and starred in the movie Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip.
6
Gabriel Macht
Lives Somewhere Else
Interestingly, Gabriel Macht has been open about not living in the U.S., but he also remains elusive about where he actually does live. “I don’t tell anyone where I live because I like to keep that under wraps,” he told People quite simply. He adds that he “got out of town” and he and his family are “exploring the world,” which could suggest that they haven’t set down roots anywhere. He and his wife Jacinda have two children, though he also told People that they considered homeschooling their kids right before COVID, and might have decided to do that now. Nonetheless, the actor who grew up in L.A. and lived in New York for years, takes the idea of wanting to keep his private life private to a whole new level.
Macht is, of course, best known for playing the lead character Harvey Spector in Suits, one ofthe best legal dramas of all time. He recently reprised the role for a multi-arc appearance in the short-lived spin-off Suits: L.A. He has nothing in the works at the time of this writing, though he is a shareholder in Bear Fight Whiskey. So, he might just be enjoying some downtime with his family right now…wherever they are.
5
Pamela Anderson
Lives in British Columbia
It’s fitting that Pamela Anderson would return to her home country, the one where she was first noticed on the jumbotron at a Canadian football game and became famous. The actor and model has been in the news of late because of her insistence on showcasing her natural, make-up free beauty on red carpets. She at first moved to Provence, France when she was dating soccer player Adil Rami. When COVID hit, she decided it was time to return home to Vancouver Island, British Columbia. She purchased her grandmother’s old motel and renovated it.
“A few years back, I kind of gave up at some point and just needed a change,” she told Better Homes & Gardens. The move turned out to be a positive one, as Anderson claims to now feel “far more removed from the image of who I was.” She found rebuilding her grandfather’s garden to be therapeutic. Anderson continues to act, most recently turning heads in The Last Showgirl, one of her best roles to date. She’ll next appear in The Naked Gun remake.
4
Lily Collins
Lives in Denmark
She might be known as Emily in Paris (or technically Emily in Rome for the latest season), but Lily Collinsactually lives in Copenhagen, Denmark. The decision to move there back in 2023 was for a simple and logical reason: she co-owns a media production and real estate company there with her husband Charlie, so it makes sense.
Talking to Elle Denmark, Collins told the outlet that life was “calm and bright.” Considering Emily in Paris, the Netflix series in which Collin stars as the title character, is filmed on-location, being in Europe makes sense for her acting jobs, too. She’s gearing up for the show’s fifth season which doesn’t yet have a release date.
3
George Clooney
Lives in France
George Clooney moved out of the U.S. way back in 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He and his wife Amal Clooney simply stated that they wanted a more peaceful life for themselves and their children, and they sought that out in Provence, France. Technically, according to Architectural Digest, they have multiple homes all over, including in the U.S., England, and Italy. But the farm in France is considered their primary home. “I drive a tractor and all those things,” Clooney told the publication. “It’s the best chance of a normal life.”
Clooney currently stars in the play Good Night, and Good Luck which is based on the 2005 historical drama film that he directed, wrote, and starred in back then as well. His choice to do this project about the conflict between veteran journalist Edward R. Murrow and U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy and the way it mirrors current events is likely not lost on the outspoken actor. The actor, who has made some essential movies, next appears in the coming-of-age comedy drama Jay Kelly.
2
Christina Milian
Lives in France
Another actor who has moved to France is Christina Milian. Her husband is singer M. Pokora, who is from there, and he was the driving motivation for relocating. She told Jennifer Hudson on The Jennifer Hudson Show that after commuting back and forth every six months for three or four years, they decided to stick with one location so their kids could enjoy some consistency in school.
Milian got her start as a singer, but quickly switched to acting, appearing in movies like Love Don’t Cost a Thing and Bring It On: Fight to the Finish. Her most recent role is playing a younger version of Detective Maria LaGuerta in the Dexter prequel series Dexter: Original Sin, which has been renewed for a second season.
1
Josh Hartnett
Lives in the U.K.
Josh Hartnett’s wife, Tamsin Egerton is from the U.K., and the couple spent time going back and forth between the U.S. and the U.K. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they spent lockdown in the U.K. and decided to stay there for good once their third child was on the way. They reside in Hampshire where they live a quieter life. Hartnett told The Guardian that he prefers life there where no one cares about your career.
His status in having a marriage visa means he can only leave the country for 180 days of the year, which limits his career to a single movie or project annually. Hartnett starred in a single episode of Black Mirror in 2023, one of the must-watch episodes of the show, and appeared in the Oscar-winning movie Oppenheimerthat was released that same year. In 2024, he appeared in one episode of The Bear and starred in the movie Trap. He has several projects in the works, including the crime movie Verity, which is expected to be released in 2026.
