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Sometimes the glitz and glam of Hollywood just isn’t enough. Join us as we explore the stories behind famous faces who chose to leave the spotlight behind and start fresh somewhere new. From London to Dubai, discover the personal struggles, controversies, and new beginnings that led these celebrities to trade Tinseltown for a quieter, more private life abroad.
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00:00Rosie is out of here.
00:02Peace.
00:02Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:04And today, we're looking at the celebrities
00:06who have since left Hollywood and rebuilt their lives
00:09somewhere completely new.
00:11Salute to that.
00:14Lena Dunham.
00:15But you're now in London, right?
00:17I am in London.
00:18I married an Englishman, and I stayed.
00:20Do you love it?
00:21I love London.
00:22I love it so much.
00:23No longer caught in Hollywood's constant churn,
00:26writer, director, and actress Lena Dunham
00:29has rebuilt her life in London,
00:31though she also splits time in Connecticut.
00:33After girls made her famous in her mid-20s,
00:36Dunham faced years of backlash and controversy
00:39surrounding public comments and creative choices.
00:47Sorry, you really scared me out of it.
00:50No, thank you.
00:50In her 2026 memoir, Fame Sick,
00:53she reflects on that era as one marked by chronic illness,
00:57substance use disorder,
00:59and the overwhelming pressure of sudden fame.
01:02London offered something different for Lena,
01:04a blank slate to start over with her English husband.
01:07So I've painted every wall, I've muraled,
01:11I've, you know, made,
01:12you guys are gonna get a little sense,
01:14gotten lots of stuff from vintage stores.
01:16You're my sister.
01:17She's creative like that.
01:18Rather than a full retreat from the industry,
01:20it allowed her to keep creating
01:22while escaping the relentless showbiz scrutiny.
01:25Amber Heard.
01:35Aquaman actress Amber Heard
01:37packed up her West Coast life
01:39after her years-long defamation trial with Johnny Depp.
01:43Johnny Depp, he said, she said,
01:45$50 million defamation lawsuit
01:47against his ex, Amber Heard.
01:49You see, the verdict in the highly publicized 2022 case
01:53and the global online backlash that followed
01:56left Heard feeling vilified in the U.S. entertainment world.
02:00I receive hundreds of death threats regularly, if not daily.
02:07She sold her California home
02:09and first rented quietly on Mallorca
02:11before choosing the Spanish capital for privacy
02:14and a chance to rebuild life outside constant paparazzi
02:18and tabloid scrutiny.
02:20In Madrid's El Viso district,
02:22she focused on motherhood and calmer daily routines,
02:26slowly reviving her acting career
02:27far from Hollywood's intense spotlight, Steven Seagal.
02:31Is that you?
02:32Yeah, that's me.
02:33That's you.
02:34What do I got a warrant for, though?
02:35Assault.
02:37Aggravated assault.
02:38Few Hollywood exits have been as dramatic as Steven Seagal's,
02:42one of action cinema's most recognizable figures
02:45in the 90s and early 2000s,
02:48Seagal began spending more time abroad,
02:50cultivating deep ties with Russia and later Serbia.
02:54In fact, he eventually accepted Russian citizenship
02:57and has been granted special status in Serbia as well.
03:01His geopolitical shift was driven by personal relationships
03:04with political leaders, including Vladimir Putin,
03:08and a clear distancing from Western media narratives.
03:11Why do you support Vladimir Putin, Mr. Seagal?
03:14I can't answer questions that stupid.
03:17Yeah, sorry.
03:18Why is it a stupid question?
03:20It's just an open question.
03:21I think it's pretty stupid, and I think you know the answer.
03:24Seagal has publicly praised Russian politics
03:27and Orthodox Christianity,
03:30leading to an often controversial reception back in the US.
03:33He's now left Hollywood's studio system
03:35for an ideologically driven life on the global political stage.
03:39What does it take to change the essence of a man?
03:43Pamela Anderson
03:45Yeah, this is Tower 18.
03:47I need backup right away.
03:52Once one of Hollywood's most iconic beach stars,
03:55Pamela Anderson eventually returned home to Canada
03:58on Vancouver Island.
04:00Yep, after decades in Los Angeles as a Baywatch household name,
04:04Anderson reached a point of burnout
04:05and self-reflection in the late 2010s.
04:08She sold her Malibu home
04:09and chose the quieter coastal life where she grew up.
04:13Anderson has talked about wanting to reconnect with her roots
04:16and focus on personal healing.
04:19I'm here.
04:22I'm living in the house that I grew up in,
04:24which is triggering and crazy,
04:26just like marrying a rock star.
04:28It's like coming home to this nutty place
04:31where, you know, my childhood happened.
04:33This included gardening,
04:35spending time with animals,
04:36and escaping the defining trappings
04:39of her earlier publicity-driven image.
04:41Her move wasn't about abandoning showbiz completely, though,
04:44but rather reclaiming her identity
04:46outside of Hollywood's constant gaze.
04:49I kind of like this moment right now
04:50where I have no clue what's going to happen.
04:53And I know, supposedly, at this part of my life,
04:56I should be settled in somewhere,
04:57but...
05:00I don't know.
05:05Maybe I'll know next week.
05:06James Cameron
05:08Hollywood heavyweight James Cameron
05:10now very much at home in Wallywood.
05:13Blockbuster titan James Cameron
05:16might still be one of Hollywood's biggest filmmakers,
05:18but his personal base of operations
05:20has been in New Zealand for well over a decade.
05:23So this is home now.
05:25I love this city.
05:26While he's Canadian by birth,
05:28Cameron began spending huge amounts of time in the country
05:30while shooting the Avatar sequels,
05:33establishing deep ties to the country's film infrastructure.
05:36And I wound up exploring around the Christchurch area
05:39and just really falling in love with the country,
05:42the scenery, the people,
05:44just the kind of the way of life there.
05:46And I made myself a promise.
05:47I'm going to come live here.
05:48He later obtained New Zealand citizenship
05:51and publicly talked about preferring its sane environment
05:55and scientific progressiveness
05:57over decades of U.S. political polarization.
06:00Cameron's relocation reflects both practical
06:03and philosophical reasons,
06:04a desire to live in a place
06:06that ultimately aligns with his creativity and global view.
06:09What do you grow on the farm?
06:13We specialize in organic vegetables,
06:15primarily brassicas,
06:17so broccoli, cauliflower, Romanescue, kale,
06:21things like that.
06:22Rosie O'Donnell.
06:23TV personality has fled the USA
06:26and is now living in Ireland.
06:28She reveals she made the move
06:30five days before Trump's inauguration.
06:33When comedian and former TV host Rosie O'Donnell
06:36announced she'd moved to a farmhouse in Ireland
06:39in early 2025 following the U.S. election,
06:42fans weren't necessarily surprised.
06:44O'Donnell cited a desire for a gentler pace of life
06:47and more space for her family,
06:49one that was away from the heated political
06:51and cultural battles in the United States.
06:53We are sure her public feud with President Donald Trump
06:56made that decision that much easier.
06:58Only Rosie O'Donnell.
07:00Rosie has spoken warmly about Irish culture
07:03and the welcoming reception she's found there.
07:06Her new home is in a suburb of Dublin.
07:08She shared photos of the neighborhood
07:10where she's living with her 12-year-old daughter Dakota.
07:13However, reports have suggested
07:15that she hasn't ruled out a return
07:16to the United States in the future.
07:18A White House spokesperson says of O'Donnell,
07:21good riddance.
07:22Eva Longoria.
07:24Fine, I'll go.
07:25But I'm keeping my back pressed against the wall
07:28the entire time.
07:29Long before she became known for escaping Hollywood,
07:32Eva Longoria had already been carving out a life
07:35well beyond the Los Angeles scene,
07:37splitting her time between Spain and Mexico
07:39with her husband and son.
07:41Rather than abandoning showbiz entirely,
07:43Longoria transitioned into international projects
07:46and hosting roles,
07:47all while embracing life abroad.
07:49Eleven generations ago,
07:51one of my ancestors left Spain for the new world
07:54and a new life.
07:56400 years later, I'm back.
07:58Her years of travel and work overseas
08:00reflect a deliberate choice
08:02to broaden her cultural and professional horizons
08:04beyond Hollywood's confines.
08:06In interviews and features,
08:08she's described this approach
08:10as part of cultivating privacy
08:11and integrating her Mexican heritage
08:13into her life and career.
08:15She's also made it clear
08:16that this is not politically motivated,
08:18as many previously assumed.
08:20Yeah, one time we drove to Disney World in Orlando,
08:24so we went to Texas.
08:26Yes, from Corpus Christi, Texas,
08:27which is like the Gulf of Mexico.
08:30And you go...
08:32Kevin Spacey.
08:34I know what you want.
08:35Once one of Hollywood's most acclaimed actors,
08:38Kevin Spacey saw his Hollywood career collapse
08:40in record time
08:41after multiple misconduct allegations
08:43were levied against him beginning in 2017.
08:46Spacey made sexual advances toward him
08:48after a party when they were both on Broadway.
08:51Spacey was 26.
08:52The fallout cost him director and studio support,
08:55including a dramatic public axing
08:58from Netflix's House of Cards.
09:00In recent years,
09:01Spacey has described having no permanent home
09:04and moving between hotels
09:05and short-term rentals in Europe
09:07as he navigates financial hardship.
09:09His dislocation from Hollywood
09:11underscores how the allegations
09:13have drastically reshaped his life,
09:15ultimately forcing him to rely
09:17on international opportunities and mobility.
09:20But it's going to be a wonderful evening
09:21of songs and stories,
09:23and I look forward to seeing you all there.
09:25Lindsay Lohan.
09:26Do I just put these here?
09:29You'll see.
09:36Really?
09:37Leaving the paparazzi-filled L.A. streets behind,
09:41Lindsay Lohan chose the gleaming metropolis of Dubai
09:44as her home well over a decade ago.
09:46First relocating around 2014,
09:49Lohan has repeatedly said
09:50that Dubai's strict privacy laws,
09:52where unconsented celebrity photography
09:55is effectively illegal,
09:56gave her the normalcy Hollywood never did.
10:06Away from constant tabloid scrutiny,
10:09Lindsay says she has found peace and focus,
10:11something that allowed her to build a new life
10:14with husband,
10:15Bader Shamas,
10:16and their children.
10:17Her UAE move reflects
10:19not just a physical change,
10:21but a stark philosophical one,
10:23prioritizing a life removed
10:24from the Hollywood chaos
10:25that once defined her.
10:30Hold on to your seats.
10:31We're back.
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10:57Ellen DeGeneres.
10:58For years,
11:00Ellen DeGeneres was the face of daytime TV,
11:02but after ending
11:03The Ellen DeGeneres Show
11:04amid controversy
11:05over toxic workplace accusations,
11:08she and wife Portia
11:09sold their California homes
11:11and bought an estate
11:12in the Cotswolds, England.
11:14Introducing Ellen's English makeover.
11:18Ow.
11:19These things are sharp,
11:20even through the clubs.
11:22The move came in late 2024,
11:24reportedly driven by discomfort
11:26with the U.S. political climate
11:28and a desire for a more peaceful life
11:30in the English countryside.
11:31As she embraces a relaxed,
11:33retired life in the countryside.
11:35You can do it, baby.
11:37We're going in a circle.
11:38Settling into village life
11:39with animals and a local community,
11:41DeGeneres says she has embraced
11:43the lifestyle change.
11:44The couple would go on
11:45to get a place with more land
11:47to accommodate Portia's beloved horses.
11:49We decided to live here full-time.
11:51We knew that Portia
11:52couldn't live without her horses.
11:54We needed a home
11:55that had a horse facility
11:56and pastures for them.
11:57Who do you think
11:58made the boldest Hollywood exit?
12:00Let's talk in the comments.
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