California currently holds the unsettling distinction of being the American state from which the greatest number of residents are choosing to depart. According to the most recent census reports, more than 817,000 individuals packed up and left California between 2021 and 2022. While relocation has always been part of the nation’s migratory rhythm, several particular pressures appear to be intensifying this exodus: the ever-rising cost of living, the frequent and destructive wildfires that disrupt daily life, and the mounting burden of California’s taxation system. These factors are compelling not only average working families but also affluent citizens—including prominent figures in the entertainment world—to explore more hospitable environments elsewhere.
What makes this trend especially striking is that even celebrities, individuals who possess both the financial means and professional flexibility to live virtually anywhere, are abandoning the Golden State. Some cite the tangible challenges—tax burdens, soaring real estate prices, and heavy-handed regulation—while others emphasize the intangible but equally pressing concerns, such as the relentless pace of Los Angeles, the social pressures of Hollywood culture, or the lack of privacy caused by constant paparazzi surveillance. Cities such as Las Vegas, Austin, and Nashville, as well as regions as far away as England or Dubai, have become new havens where stars and their families can both breathe more easily and stretch their wealth more effectively. Unsurprisingly, Arizona, Florida, and Texas stand out among the domestic destinations of choice, while a fraction of celebrities, determined to step entirely beyond the American limelight, have settled in other countries.
The motivations for such moves tend to mirror those of ordinary Californians. Business Insider reports that everyday residents are frustrated by escalating housing costs, ever-increasing personal and corporate taxes, and the difficult social and political atmosphere in California’s major cities. The situation is particularly visible in Los Angeles, a city synonymous with glitz and fame, where a significant portion of the wealthier demographic is departing in pursuit of locations that offer both fiscal relief and a slower, more sustainable lifestyle. For instance, Gus Lira—a managing partner for a luxury private jet company—once enjoyed ocean views from his Malibu condominium. Nonetheless, the erosion of his financial freedom due to steep state taxes outweighed even those enviable vistas, prompting his relocation to Nevada. Echoing the sentiments of many, Lira explained that California’s aggressive taxation amounted to confiscation of well over half of his income, making advancement nearly impossible.
Well-known entertainment personalities also populate this growing list of California expatriates. Some publicly attribute their departure to taxation and overregulation, while others highlight family priorities, lifestyle considerations, or deeply personal reasons. Singer and television host Kelly Clarkson, for instance, relocated to New York City in 2022 following her divorce, transporting both her children and her daytime talk show along with her. She openly declared that the change offered a vital emotional reset after years of personal challenges, and she emphasized that the move has already improved the well-being of her children. Similarly, actor Sylvester Stallone—whose deeply intertwined relationship with Los Angeles dates back to his early, struggling years—announced in 2024 that he and his family would leave California permanently in favor of South Florida. He framed this as both a family decision and an opportunity for renewal now that his children had become independent.
Other celebrities’ motivations reveal further nuances. Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake withdrew from Los Angeles to protect their young children from constant paparazzi intrusion, instead spending most of their time at properties in Tennessee and Montana. Biel has candidly expressed that while both the East and West Coasts subject celebrities to continual scrutiny, she and Timberlake sought to cultivate genuine normalcy for their children. Dean Cain, well remembered for his portrayal of Superman, was even more outspoken, deriding California’s political and fiscal environment as excessively bureaucratic and hostile to enterprise. He pointed out that relocating to Nevada enabled him to purchase a significantly larger and more luxurious residence than what he could afford in Malibu, thereby underscoring the financial disparity between the states.
A wide range of other high-profile names have similarly chosen life beyond California: Jesse Eisenberg settled with his family in Indiana during the pandemic, enjoying quieter surroundings and supporting his late mother-in-law’s causes; Chris Evans returned to Massachusetts to remain close to his family roots; Walton Goggins moved into a rustic upstate New York home during the pandemic, motivated not by flight from Los Angeles but by a sense of growth and possibility; John Goodman long ago abandoned Hollywood for New Orleans, where he has lived since the 1980s; Adrian Grenier exchanged Hollywood glamour for sustainable farm life in Texas; Josh Hartnett found both personal safety and anonymity in the English countryside following troubling encounters with stalkers in Los Angeles; and Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban retreated to Tennessee to align themselves more closely with the country music community. Each story, distinctive in its particulars, nonetheless reflects the overarching desire for tranquility, belonging, and authentic living.
The diaspora stretches beyond continental borders: Lindsay Lohan has embraced privacy in Dubai, Eva Longoria maintains residences in Mexico and Spain, and Julia Roberts settled decades ago in New Mexico to escape Hollywood’s unrelenting social machinery. Actors such as Matthew McConaughey and Glen Powell moved to Texas to be nearer their families and reconnect with personal traditions. Chrissy Metz, Amanda Seyfried, Hilary Swank, and many others likewise favor places where communal ties, open landscapes, or natural surroundings outweigh the temporary allure of Los Angeles’ celebrity culture.
Ultimately, the broader picture reveals that this celebrity movement cannot be dismissed as mere whimsy or eccentricity. Rather, it resonates with the decisions of countless Californians who conclude that the sacrifices of staying—whether financial, personal, or emotional—now surpass the benefits once promised by the state’s prosperity and cultural prominence. Together, these departures embody a profound reevaluation of what constitutes success and happiness, and they chart new geographies where careers in entertainment coexist more healthily with family life, financial security, and personal fulfillment.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/celebrities-left-los-angeles-california-why-where-they-moved
