As Donald Trump vows to Make America Great Again mortified Hollywood hotshots are trading the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles for a new life overseas.
Left-wing celebrities who were devastated by Trump’s landslide election victory have pledged to flee America in order to give their families a better life.
Eva Longoria, a Texas native who has been living abroad for work, is taking permanent residency in Mexico and Spain with her husband and son in order to ‘escape’ her ‘dystopian’ homeland.
Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi put their California mansion up for sale after the election results came in and kickstarted their ‘retirement’ in the UK, with sources alleging the ‘US doesn’t like her because of her 𝑠e𝑥ual preferences’.
The couple may soon see some familiar faces in Britain as several American stars, including America Ferrera and Barbra Streisand have said they are considering taking up residency in the UK.
Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling were already living in the UK and are now planning to stay put, a sentiment echoed by British-American actress Minnie Driver, who returned to London after nearly three decades of living in Los Angeles.
Sophie Turner also returned to her native UK last year after realizing she had to ‘get the f**k out’ of America due to gun violence and the overturning of Roe v Wade.
While some American stars have actually followed through with their plans to live abroad, an election-fueled celebrity mass exodus is not likely.
Dozens of celebrities – including Miley Cyrus, Samuel L. Jackson and Whoopi Goldberg, who to this day refuses to say Trump’s name – pledged to flee the states after the Republican’s first election victory in 2016 but ultimately back-peddled on those promises.
MailOnline looks at all the A-listers vowing to flee the US over Trump’s presidential election win and where they’re headed next…
Eva Longoria relocated to Europe several years ago due to her work commitments, but says that she was also ready to close the ‘America chapter’ of her life.
Desperate Housewives actress has been a vocal opponent of Trump’s and branded him ‘a convicted criminal who spews so much hate’ in the wake of his election win.
But she insists his victory was not enough to drive her out of the country.
‘I didn’t leave because of the political environment. I left because my work took me there,’ Longoria, 49, told the Behind The Table podcast last week.
‘I’m a proud American. I’ve always been a proud American. Proud Texan, proud American. I didn’t want it to be taken that I left because of Trump – absolutely not – or because of the elections.’
The actress previously said she fled ‘dystopian’ America and is ‘privileged’ to now be living in Mexico and Spain with her family.
The Desperate Housewives star also campaigned for Kamala Harris and had ominous predictions about the country following her defeat.
Ellen DeGeneres ditched the US for the UK to kick off her ‘retirement’ with wife Portia de Rossi after her career was tarnished by accusations about toxic behavior on her now defunct talk show.
The TV host, 66 and the actress, 51, shocked fans after they were spotted exploring their new stomping ground in rural England – amid reports that they put their Montecito mansion on the market in response to the 2024 presidential election.
But, according to insiders, the couple had already planned to quit the states before Trump’s election victory.
‘Make no mistake about it. This is Ellen and Portia’s retirement,’ an insider told DailyMail.com exclusively. ‘Neither one of them have any projects lined up.’
The insider noted that the former talk show heavyweight has been left juggling far less work following accusations that she fostered a toxic workplace on her show’s set.
A second source confirmed that the change in attitudes toward DeGeneres mixed with the recent election results was enough to make her flee the US.
‘With all the ill will towards her, she was looking to move away even before the election,’ the source began. ‘And as things panned out with Trump winning, she is glad she is making the move and going to be away from the US.’
The source continued: ‘She has the one person that still loves her, Portia, and she is ready to leave everyone who in her mind left her hanging out to dry. If she considers it her retirement, so be it.
‘An enormous part of the US doesn’t like her because of her 𝑠e𝑥ual preferences, and others were turned off by her persona, which some perceived to be fake in the wake of the work place allegations.
America Ferrera’s decision to flee the US in search of the ‘best opportunities’ for her children in the UK was cemented by Donald Trump’s election victory, insiders claim.
It was reported earlier this month that the Ugly Betty alum, 40, was planning to relocate across the pond with her husband, Ryan Piers Williams, and their son Sebastian, six, and daughter Lucia, four.
‘America is sick that Donald Trump is President again,’ an insider told DailyMail.com just days after the election. ‘She is devastated that Kamala lost. She thought the country she lived in was better than that.’
They said the move does not mean the Barbie actress is leaving Hollywood for good, as she wants to keep a ‘presence’ in the US for work and Latinas and women.
‘But she will be overseas for family and to benefit her kids’ education,’ the source added. ‘She wants them to have the best opportunities possible and to her, being overseas for that is what is important.
‘She’s not abandoning the US, she is prioritizing her life and focusing on the importance for her kids.’
Ferrera was spotted looking at a private school in South West London earlier this month, with sources telling Hello! Magazine that she ‘appeared very happy’ with her open day visit at a school in Barnes.
‘It’s a school with a lot of celebrity children at it so her kids would fit in very well,’ the insider added.
Sharon Stone pledged earlier this year that she would leave America for a new life in Europe if Donald Trump won the presidential election.
Stone, 66, said in July that she is thinking of buying a house in Italy if Trump got into the White House again, saying: ‘I am certainly considering a house in Italy. I think that’s an intelligent construct at this time.’
She added: ‘This is one of the first times in my life that I’ve actually seen anyone running for office on a platform of hate and oppression.’
Friends of the actress claimed that she spent time house-hunting on the French Riviera, before shifting her gaze to Italy.
One said: ‘Sharon has a really beautiful home with her children in Beverly Hills but I know that she did look in Antibes. That was a few years ago but she did not pull the trigger on it.
‘It’s fair to say that she is thinking about it again. I would say that France is still more likely than Italy.’
The Pennsylvania-born star has not publicly addressed her relocation claims since the November election was called.
Barbra Streisand last year said she would like to live in Britain if Donald Trump were to be re-elected.
‘I can’t live in this country if he becomes president,’ she told Stephen Colbert late last year.
The actress and singer also expressed her disappointed in the results after the November 5 election, tweeting: ‘There are no words left.’
In another social media post, she added: ‘Kamala Harris sent us off with a hopeful message when she said, ‘Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.’ Thank you, Kamala.’
Streisand also vowed to quit the US in after Trump’s 2016 election, saying she was either relocating to the UK or Canada. However, she never followed through on her promise.
Cher said in October last year that she suffered health issues as result of Donald Trump’s previous term.
The singer and actress added that this time she was determined to relocate from the US under Trump’s leadership.
‘I almost got an ulcer the last time,’ Cher told The Guardian in 2023. ‘If he gets in, who knows? This time I will leave.’
The star made a similar claim in June 2015, ahead of his first election. She tweeted, ‘If he were to be elected, I’m moving to Jupiter,’ but did not appear to have relocated in the years following, in which Trump was elected to office and served.
Cher has not said anything on social media about her alleged relocation plans since Trump’s election victory.
Eva Mendes, 50, and her Canadian husband Ryan Gosling are living in London’s Notting Hill neighborhood with their two daughters.
The family relocated roughly five months ago.
The actress last month hailed their life in the west London neighborhood, telling The Times: ‘We have access to those communal gardens. Seriously, it’s magical.’
She also revealed that she has made some ‘good British mum friends’ while living in the UK.
A source previously told People that they opted to leave Los Angeles because they ‘didn’t want their girls to grow up around other celebrity kids.’
Minnie Driver, 54, told The Times of London in July that she had returned to the UK after nearly three decades of living in Los Angeles.
And at the time, she revealed that if Trump were to be re-elected, she would have a hard time returning to America.
‘If I lived in a red [Republican] state, no, I couldn’t [return],’ she said. ‘But living in California, you are somewhat insulated.
‘But do you want to go and live in a bubble? Do you run away from the fire or do you go back and help?’
The British-American star has not publicly discussed her plans since the election was called.
British star Sophie Turner, 28, told Harper’s Bazaar last month that she realized she had to ‘get the f**k out’ of America due to gun violence and the overturning of Roe v Wade.
The Game of Thrones alum had been living in the states with Joe Jonas and their two children Willa and Delphine.
She returned to her native UK in the wake of their acrimonious split last year and has been living in west London.
She was staying with a friend while her children are with Jonas because it is ‘absolute agony’ to be at home without them
Turner admitted that she suffered from homesickness when she first moved to LA, and subsequently Miami, with her ex.
‘Every city we ended up in, the first thing I’d do was find a British shop and stock up on a month’s worth of chocolate,’ she told the magazine, but noted that the political climate in US was what she found to be most challenging.
‘The gun violence, Roe v Wade being overturned… Everything just kind of piled on. After the Uvalde [school] shooting, I knew it was time to get the f*** out of there.’
After Donald Trump’s first election victory, dozens of celebrities pledged to flee their lives in America.
Many assumed such statements of leaving the country were simply exaggerated forms of protest, designed to grab attention and signal their deep dissatisfaction with the direction the country is moving rather than genuine moving plans.
Indeed, while many Americans faced real challenges during Trump’s presidency whether due to immigration policies, healthcare reforms, or economic shifts, few had the luxury of publicly vowing to leave.
As for the high-profile names, it appears most never seriously entertained leaving the US, even as they doubled down on their critiques.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG
In the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election, Whoopi Goldberg expressed strong opposition to Trump’s candidacy, saying on The View, ‘Maybe it’s time for me to move, you know. I can afford to go.’
Goldberg later clarified that she had no intention of leaving the country, emphasizing her commitment to staying in the United States.
In May 2024, Trump shared a meme suggesting Goldberg would move to Canada if he were elected again, adding, ‘Canada doesn’t want you Whoopi, NOBODY DOES!!!’
In response, Goldberg addressed the meme on the show stating, ‘Look, I’m not going anywhere… I know where I’m going to be because I got a contract, so I’m going to be here where I’m wanted for the next couple of years.’
Goldberg, a notable critic of Trump’s political career, also refused to acknowledge Trump by name on her chat show the day after his 2024 election victory.
‘He’s the president,’ Goldberg said. ‘I’m still not going to say his name – that’s not going to change.
LENA DUNHAM
Girls creator Lena Dunham told an audience in 2016 that she would ‘100 percent move to Canada’ while appearing at the Matrix Awards in April of 2016 in New York City, the CBC reported.
She said: ‘I know a lot of people have been threatening to do this, but I really will … I know a lovely place in Vancouver and I can get my work done from there.’
Her sincerity seemed real at the time, yet Dunham is still very much in the United States, continuing her work in entertainment and advocacy. No cross-border relocation has occurred, though perhaps Canadian winters were less appealing in hindsight.
After Trump was elected in November of 2016, Dunham clarified that her earlier comments were made in jest and emphasized her commitment to staying in the United States to advocate for her beliefs.
She said on Instagram, ‘It’s easy to joke about moving to Canada. It’s harder to see, and to love, the people who fill your mailbox with hate… but I’m willing to try.’
AMY SCHUMER
Amy Schumer said in November of 2016 that previous remarks she made about relocating were made ‘in jest.’
Schumer told the BBC in September 2016: ‘My act will change because I will need to learn to speak Spanish because I will move to Spain or somewhere. It’s beyond my comprehension if Trump won. It’s just too crazy.’
The Trainwreck star said after Trump was elected: ‘The interview where I said I would move was in London and was said in jest … not that anyone needs more than a headline to count something as official news.
‘Anyone saying pack your bags is just as disgusting as anyone who voted for this racist homophobic openly disrespectful woman abuser.’
Schumer said 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton ‘would have taken care of us,’ and noted she and ‘all the celebrities backing her would have … personally would have had to pay higher taxes.’
The actress – who has been outspoken about antisemitism in the wake of Hamas’ attack on an Israeli music festival last year – shared a tweet after Trump’s 2024 election victory that read, ‘Per CNN exit polling the top 2 demographics that voted for Kamala Harris are: Black women @ 92% and Jewish women @ 88%..’
SAMUEL L. JACKSON
Samuel L. Jackson had previously joked he would relocate to South Africa in December of 2015.
The statement came during a sketch on Jimmy Kimmel Live in which The Hateful Eight provided vocals for a ‘hateful eight ball.’
After Trump’s win in November of 2016, the actor said on Twitter, When you learn the difference between My Actual Opinion & A Kimmel Skit… Maybe we can talk. Till then, I’m Barbed Wire Up Your A**es!!’
In recent years, the Pulp Fiction actor – who also campaigned on Harris’ behalf – has remained stateside, filming more Marvel movies and performing on Broadway.
BRYAN CRANSTON
Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston said in a late 2016 interview with The Bestseller Experiment podcast, declaring he ‘would definitely move’ to Vancouver, British Columbia if Trump defeated Clinton.
‘It’s not real to me that that would happen. I hope to God it won’t. It wouldn’t be a vacation. I’d be an expatriate.’
After Trump was elected, Cranston, who publicly endorsed Kamala Harris in the most recent election, walked back his statement on Twitter.
‘Although shocked and disappointed by the outcome, I hope the pres-elect will work to unify our wounded country,’ he said in November 2016. ‘I sincerely wish him success.’
RAVEN-SYMONÉ
Actress Raven-Symoné also promised she would move to Canada with her family should Trump win.
She emphasized her seriousness on The View in 2016, saying, ‘I already have my ticket. I literally bought my ticket, I swear.’
Despite this declaration, she remained in the United States after the election.
MILEY CYRUS
Miley Cyrus took umbrage at a Trump presidency posting on Instagram in 2016: ‘Honestly f*** this s*** I am moving if this is my president! I don’t say things I don’t mean!’
But following Trump’s 2016 election win, Cyrus did not leave the country, and ultimately denounced her previous comments.
In a 2017 interview with NME, she reflected on her earlier statement, calling it ‘dumb’ and ‘ignorant.’
She explained, ‘That’s me abandoning my country when I think I’ve got a good thing to say to my country.’
NEVE CAMPBELL
Actress Neve Campbell, originally from Canada, indicated in 2016 she would return home country if Trump won.
‘I’m terrified. It’s really scary,’ she said at the time of Trump’s first win.
But like others, Campbell ultimately stayed in the US, continuing her work in Hollywood.
