According to a YouGov survey, 53% of Americans believe that they would enjoy being famous. But being in the public eye certainly isn't for everyone, and it's not conducive to every career path either. If you have big dreams of being a nurse or firefighter, there's no need to have a huge following on social media. In fact, it might be better not to.
Redditors have recently been discussing former stars who decided to remove themselves from the spotlight and live quiet lives following their fame. From child actors who had other ideas for their careers to celebs who decided to focus on their families, enjoy scrolling through, and keep reading to find a conversation with Jazz and Jess from the Sis, Let Me Tell You podcast!
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President Jimmy Carter. He could have parlayed his Pres gig into big bucks speaking and getting book deals. Instead, he just built houses for lower income people. Never wavered from his core beliefs. As a former Navy Submariner, I always admired how he always kept the values of our Top Secret oath we took as submariners.
Rick Moranis.
PhoneJazz:
He left Hollywood because his wife died, and he wanted to raise his kids.
I remember when he dropped out. Good for him. The residuals from Spaceballs and Honey I Shrunk the kids are more than enough for a lifetime.
To gain more insight on this topic from a couple of pop culture experts, we reached out to Jazz Steele and Jess Gomez, hosts of the Sis, Let Me Tell You podcast. "We are twin sisters who have an awful lot to say about a whole lot of things. We focus on black celebrity gossip/news and personal stories with a sibling spin," the hosts explained. "It’s meant to feel like catching up with old friends about the latest and greatest."
The sisters provided us with a list of examples of celebrities who have left the public eye. "Geoffrey Owens played Elvin Tibideaux on The Cosby Show. He teaches acting classes and was seen working at a Trader Joe’s," they shared. "Stanley Burrell AKA MC Hammer. He struggled with some legal and financial issues, but has since bounced back and seems happy."
Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes, refused to license his work out and retired when the comics were huge at 37. Walked away from potentially hundreds of millions because he thought it would jeopardize the integrity of his art through commercializing it. I think he's refused any public interview and the only publicly available picture of him is from over 30 years ago.
Lives in a modest neighborhood in Cleveland.
Hayden Christensen did all the Star Wars stuff and then bought a farm outside Toronto. He's now all about farming.
"Albert Greene AKA Al Green. He is a preacher in the Memphis area," Jazz and Jess continued. "Karyn Parsons played Hilary Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She’s the founder of the Sweet Blackberry Foundation, which produces animated films and books starring unsung black heroes."
"Mason Betha AKA Mase. He has turned his life over to God and speaks to crowds to invite others to do the same," the hosts noted. "Kim Coles played Synclaire James-Jones on Living Single. She is a coach, speaker and teacher for her own academy where she shares her wealth of knowledge and building her 'Kim-pire.'"
Chunk (Jeff Cohen) from The Goonies became a lawyer.
dfze:
Yup. Apparently he’s a lawyer that represents actors and tries to make sure they always negotiate for fair agreements.
The kid who played Charlie in the original Willy Wonka. He went on to be a veterinarian.
As far as why celebrities choose to do this, Jazz and Jess noted that being in the spotlight is a lot of pressure. "Some people manage to handle it well, while others are consumed by it," they explained. "Prioritizing your mental health is the number one priority."
"Other times, it takes you experiencing something such as acting or music professionally to realize it’s not for you. Or you accomplished your goal, now what?" the hosts continued. "Whatever the reason, we only want people at their best. If they are unable to guarantee that then it wasn’t meant to be."
Enya lives in a tiny Irish village where she's just one of the locals.
JuryBorn:
She lives in Killiney. It is an affluent suburb in Dublin. 2 members of U2 also live there. She is quite reclusive and lives in a castle.
dasuberblonde:
Enya became a hermit and lives in a castle collecting cats aka living the dream
Enya is AMAZING, but here's something. Did you know she had a band BEFORE she was Enya? If you like Celtic Folk music and haunting vocals (I do a lot), check out Clannad. Clannad was her first band. Their version of Suil a Ruin is heartbreaking.
Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi run a tennis academy in Las Vegas for underprivileged kids.
I don't understand how this fit here. They're were sports stars and those usually retire at a pretty young age compared to the regular folks like us
We also asked the hosts what some of the pros of leaving the industry might be. "It allows people the insight of it being okay to take a risk, try something new and that it’s okay to fail. We took a risk by starting our podcast," Jazz and Jess told Bored Panda. "We had no experience, no equipment before committing to trying it, and we knew there was a possibility we could fail. Knowing there was no real harm nor foul helped to take that leap."
Queen’s John Deacon. Lives quietly wherever. Has minimal contact with Queen, though they do run ideas by him as a courtesy.
TwistyHeretic2:
Deacon lives quietly with his wife Veronica, for whom he wrote his first major hit "You're My Best Friend" when they were newlyweds and expecting their first baby (1975). They'll be celebrating their 49th anniversary next month. They still live in the house they bought back when the money started coming in. They had six children (5 boys and 1 girl), and now who-knows-how-many grandchildren.
Cameron Diaz.
Raising her kid with one of the Good Charlotte dudes and enjoying life. She made some awesome movies and great friendships. Content to live her life pretty quietly now.
She was everywhere in the late 90s and early 2000s then dropped off. So weird. Thought she would continue acting for many more years.
On the other hand, there can also be downsides to deciding to leave fame behind. "Let’s take Geoffrey Owens for example," Jazz and Jess shared. "He settled back into normal life, and we hadn’t heard much from him in decades. A few years ago, he was spotted working in a New Jersey Trader Joe’s, which started a debate of how work is valued and job shaming."
"Some people responded extremely negatively to the photo that was captured, while others defended his choice of employment. Geoffrey had to quit his Trader Joe’s gig due to the attention," the hosts explained. "He had an interview with Good Morning America where he stated, 'There’s no job better than another…every job is worthwhile.' People can make you feel like a failure or a quitter or less than when they see you have taken a step back from fame."
Greta Garbo was the biggest movie star in the world throughout the ‘30s. She made her last movie in 1941, at the age of 36.
She then spent the next 50 years living alone in a New York apartment. She was known for taking daily walks around Manhattan, and “Garbo-spotting” was a popular New York activity in the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s.
Newt from Aliens (Carrie Henn) is a teacher.
Yep. She actually teaches at the school down the the street from my house.
We also asked Jazz and Jess if there were any celebrities who have stepped away from the public eye that they would like to hear from again. "Keri Hilson. She was an incredible singer and songwriter between 2002 and the 2010s," they shared.
"Her career was full steam ahead until an alleged feud between her and Beyonce caused her to be blacklisted from the industry. Over the years, she has tried to reenter the scene as her and Beyonce seem to be on better terms now, but as of today she has yet to release new music. We would love to see a Keri Hilson reemergence."
If you'd like to hear more of Jazz and Jess' thoughts on black pop culture, be sure to check out Sis, Let Me Tell You. "We offer video podcast episodes on Spotify, YouTube and we just started a Patreon," they told Bored Panda. "New episodes every Tuesday morning. Check us out!"
Pheobe Cates.
FyreWyvern:
Fast Times at Ridgemont High, 2 Gremlins movies, a few other things… then retired more than 20 years ago.
Married to Kevin Kline since 1989 and running a little shop in NYC.
Danny Lloyd, the kid from The Shining is a professor at a community college in Kentucky.
Bridgett Fonda, loved her then she disappeared. Last year paps found her living a normal life not looking she used too. They were brutal. F**k the paps.
Kate Bush.
Now_Wait-4-Last_Year:
Still quietly making music out of sight like she always did. Apparently Running Up That Hill being featured on Stranger Things made her several million dollars to add to all her other revenue streams.
It sometimes seems like Kate Bush did backing vocals for basically everyone in the music industry in the 80s. EDIT: Ace, BoyGanesh, you're both right. "backing vocals" was a horribly minimizing choice of words. Collaborations is a much better word. I'm a bit embarrassed about doing that.
Erik Estrada, who played officer Francis Llewellyn "Ponch" Poncherello on "CHiPs" became a real-life police officer in Saint Anthony, Idaho.
Surprised no one mentioned Daniel Day-Lewis. The man was on the top of his field for many years, but the toll each movie had on him made him choose to go live a normal life with his family.
Anything this guy did was immediatly praised by the Academy. He really went out on top.
His first acting credit was in 1971, and he's only had 29 credits in 53 years. He first quit in 1997 after "the boxer" and didn't come back to it until "Gangs of new york" in 2002. Including Gangs, he's been in 6 films over the past 21 years. He made movies so as to learn the skills of the characters he played, and a certain point other passions overtook. He was a wood-worker for several years, became engrossed in becoming a cobbler, and his latest obsession is being a tailor. Acting was his talent, not his passion.
Tom from MySpace 😆
Illustrious_Town_163:
I respect him a lot compared to all the other major internet company guys. Wasn’t trying to change the world or farm data or move us into some technocratic future, just made a cool thing, sold it and does what he wants now.
I agree! Many scoff/laugh when MySpace is mentioned, but at the time it was a good thing so much so the idea was sold and yes it was changed, but this was one of the first social media platforms that connected people this way. I wasn't a bad concept, it needed updating like any other would.
Bill Withers passed away in 2020, but he's the ultimate example of being on top and just dropping out and living his life.
girlomfire17:
I love Bill. He never fully quit his blue collar job, even when fully immersed in making music because he never trusted the people. And recognized his fame as fleeting. He was great. Probably in my top 5 songwriters
Tip; listen to his anti-Vietnam anthem "can't write lefthanded". If you don't know that song you won't regret listening to it.
Staci Keanan. Was on two big sitcoms in the 80s and 90s, charming, beautiful. Had amazing prospects. Then she dropped out of the business, went to law school, now she's a district attorney.
Bobby Sherman was a huge teen heartthrob in the 70s, and then at the height of his career, he left it all behind to become a paramedic.
Follow your heart, I guess, even if others find it weird.
That's not weird in the slightest. Doing something tangible and can literally make the difference between life and death. Nothing wrong with being a teen heartthrob but it's telling that he went for a change that is based on what he can do as a person and not in his looks. Hopefully he found the meaning and fulfillment he was looking for.
Andre 3000 from OutKast. He was arguably the greatest rapper in the world and gave up the fame to live a quiet private life. The guy literally does his laundry at a laundromat to stay grounded and so he can play his flute in the alley while his clothes dry.
He was good, but he was not the "greatest rapper" in a world in which Eminem exists, particularly at the time he stepped away. Buuut, started having overwhelming anxiety attacks when he'd have to go on stage, he couldn't cope with the pressure, and really didn't like anything that went along with the fame. He just wanted to make music and didn't like the rest of "the game" he just released an album of flute music recently.
The girl who played Harper on Wizards of Waverly Place is a Registered Nurse now.
Ken Griffey Jr. (baseball) is worth over $100M, and in his retired years, he picked up photography. He's an on-field photographer for the Philadelphia Eagles, where his father lives. Dude is humble and loves what he does.
It was Rick Astley until we relentless trolled our teachers and friends with the Rick roll circa 2006 ish.
Wolfwoods_Sister:
He said he really hated the music fame machine and just didn’t want to go any further with it.
Jake Ryan on 16 candles.
SeatownSpy:
I think he’s a wood worker now. His daughter Scarlett is a stunner and works in modeling.
Phyllis Smith from the Office was actually part of the casting team for the show originally. She moved out of LA several yrs ago, lives a completely normal life in Missouri now.
Nikki Blonsky from Hairspray. She was selling shoes and working as a hairstylist last I read.
Leelee Sobieski.
kirinmay:
Think she just went family life mom and take care of kids and what not. She was in a lot of things so had money. Also she was in a tv series for a few years.
MrsBeauregardless:
I believe she is a painter, now. Still an artist.
With her name, I always thought it ironic she played Joan of Arc; Sobieski is to Poland what Washington is to the U.S., or Richard II is to Britain.
Mike Vitar. He played Benny in The Sandlot. He became a firefighter with LAFD.
I would say Jonathan Taylor Thomas. He was SO BIG in the 90's. Now he's mostly if not entirely behind the scenes.
Eddie Haskell from Leave It to Beaver became a California Hwy Patrolman.
My choice would be Shelley Duvall. She was once one of the most successful actors and now you wouldn't recognize her if she came up to you and asked for directions.
NoodlesAreAwesome:
I thought she had some serious untreated mental health issues and that was part of it? She also claimed Robin Williams wasn’t dead but he shape shifted. I hope she’s doing much better now.
I don't know how many remember the band Savage Garden from the 90s, but one of the two guys who made up the band decided out of the blue, at the height of their fame, that it wasn't for him, and he quit. He just walked away from the whole thing. I think he works as a contractor or something now.
Probably got tired of being mistaken for Fool’s Garden and asked to sing Lemon Tree. :p
Erik Per Sullivan aka Dewey from Malcolm In The Middle. He's pretty much left acting entirely and has no social media accounts. I like to think he's living a peaceful normal life.
The_Good_Count:
I've heard from a friend in Ohio that, at least a few years ago, he was working at his parent's Mexican restaraunt somewhere around Cleveland.
Take it with a grain of salt, if someone tells me this is wrong I get to tell my friend he's full of sh*t.
Consistently the best part of one of the best show ever made. Bryan Cranston has been very vocal about wanting to revisit MITM, if not in a new series, then at the very least a movie. Everyone else involved in the cast has expressed support for these efforts, but EPS didn't even show up to whatever reunion they did a couple years ago making it unlikely that he'd be involved. It just wouldn't be the same without him, and Cloris Leishman is also a pretty big loss.
Mara Wilson.
ravenpotter3:
She also voices The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home in the podcast Welcome To NightVale. She is the faceless old woman who secretly lives in all of our homes and also once ran for the night vale mayor position and lost to a five headed dragon Hiram McDaniels.
The kid whom played Jack in Hook is a law professor. He was an adjunct at my schools while I was there but I did not attend his class.
Yall remember Rake Yohn from Jack*ss TV? He’s a chemist. He actually had his degree before the show.
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. I loved her in all of her huge movies in the late 80s and early 90s. (The Abyss, Scarface, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, color of money(Oscar Nominated) And then I never heard from her again.
Edit: Looks like she didn’t do much in the 90s. Did The Perfect Storm in 2000 and then had 2-3 multi episode runs on tv series. And she’s as beautiful today as she’s ever been. I’ve always had a huge crush on her and apparently still very much do. 😂
I went bouldering yesterday and the girl who played Katie Bell in Harry Potter was working the reception. Found her IG and she is a rock climber so it's probably more out of interest than anything else.
The actress in the picture is Georgina Leonidas. Katie Bell was played by Emily Dale before that.
That guy who sang "How do I talk to an angel," Jamie Walters. I think he was on 90210 and then was on a spinoff. I believe he's a firefighter now.
Two of the more hyped US Winter Olympians in my lifetime, Eric Heiden and Debi Thomas, became doctors.
Steve Guttenberg.
Deitaphobia:
I read he got super involved in The Academy of Arts and Sciences non-Oscar stuff and now does film restoration.
man i grew up watching him. he always just seemed like a good guy. just the police academy franchise probably set him up with a nice nest egg
Julia Stiles. I feel like she was huge then sorta went away. I just looked her up and it seems like done some stuff here and there but nothing huge or notable unfortunately. I don’t know why, I thought she was pretty good.
Pam Anderson left the US, and moved back to her sleepy home town on Vancouver Island.
_Amarantos:
She seems really at peace now too.
Nah, she's still showbiz. Goes to Fashion Award shows, and has written a book Love Pamela: A Memoir of Prose, Poetry and Truth, made a documentary, Pamela, A Love Story, in 2023 and has two upcoming series, Pamela’s Cooking with Love (Food Network Canada) and Pamela’s Garden of Eden (HGTV Canada), Not living a normal quiet life at all!
Lauren Tewes (Julie from Love Boat) became a cheesemonger in Seattle.
Molly Ringwald seems to lead a pretty normal life. I live in Tacoma, WA and she apparently has some friends or family out here because she’ll visit from time to time— you’ll just go to a restaurant and see Molly Ringwald very casually grabbing a bite and you’re just like, “oh hey— that’s pretty cool” and that’s that.
Michael Schoeffling.
tumorgirl:
Yeah he’s like a carpenter now or something. Wasn’t a great actor but he’s so gorgeous I don’t know if anyone would really notice 😻. He’ll always be my dream boyfriend, sigh ❤️❤️❤️
Tonya Harding. She now owns a landscaping business and has said she’s really happy with it
Yep and her ex, Jeff Gallulie runs a company that refurbishes trucks down in Clackamas. My friends bought sever cargo vans from him. He changed his name but I'm not going to use it here because that stuff is deep in the past.
The girl that played Catwoman in Gotham (Camren Bicondova). She has a smoothie business now I think.
Not huge, but the drummer from Sum 41. He is now a realtor in Palm Springs.
Charlie Korsmo from Hook (1991) and What About Bob?
He graduated with a degree in Physics from MIT, worked at the EPA, got his Juris Doctor from Yale, became a lawyer and is now a corporate law and finance professor. And something something about a nomination to something by Obama.
He was never huge but Beans from Even Stevens now works at my local mall.
Gerardo had a big hit 30 years ago with "Rico Sauve". He's now a pastor in a church in KY.
She wasn't hugely famous but Kat Von D moved to my hometown and even got baptized at the same church that I was baptized at. It's a small town with not much diversity so when she moved there it was kind of a big deal for everyone. Funny thing is the mansion she purchased was haunted and we used to host haunted houses for our basketball team fundraisers and I could tell stories from each year that we did it stuff that happened. The last part is irrelevant just a fun random fact lol.
Maybe Liv Tyler? You never hear about her anymore. She lives in London, just being a regular mom and raising her kids.
She's still working, She will appear in 2024’s “Captain America: New World Order,” reprising her role from 2008’s “The Incredible Hulk”.
Any of the Brady Kids... I think one of them works construction!
They are Maureen McCormick (Marcia), Eve Plumb (Jan), Susan Olsen (Cindy), Barry Williams (Greg), Christopher Knight (Peter), Mike Lookinland (Bobby).
Jessica Alba, sort of. She runs a business for moms to help with their babies. I don't know what it is exactly, but it's something like a diaper company or something. Anywho, she no longer makes movies anymore.
Wrong! I mean yeah she does have the diaper company, but she still very much making movies. "Trigger warning" is in post production, and "Flash before the bang" is in pre-production. Her last movie was "Killers Anonymous" in 2019 but she had a 26 episode tv series that ran from 2019-2020, and "honest renovations" ran last year, where they went and fixed up "deserving families" homes while having "candid conversations about parenthood" She didn't stop trying, everyone else just stopped caring. Her business acumen greatly outweighs her talent as an actress.
Armie Hammer. He was selling Timeshares in the Caymans last I heard.
Hammer did not walk away voluntarily. He was accused of rape and abuse by a former girlfriend. Then there were accusations that he fantasized about being a cannible. Whether it's true or not, it killed his acting career.
... and Brigitte Bardot of course, the original Pamela Anderson.
So many of these people never left anything behind. They simply fell off of the star track. I doubt half of them would refuse if they were told, "Hey, we're doing a jokey 'next generation' sorta reboot of your old show and we'll pay you a ton of money for a supporting role so we can raise money off of your name." Which I have no problem with, but there's a difference between leaving behind fame and fortune for a greater cause (even raising your own kids) and simply having having the dignity not to do an occasional episode of the Hollywood Squares.
... and Brigitte Bardot of course, the original Pamela Anderson.
So many of these people never left anything behind. They simply fell off of the star track. I doubt half of them would refuse if they were told, "Hey, we're doing a jokey 'next generation' sorta reboot of your old show and we'll pay you a ton of money for a supporting role so we can raise money off of your name." Which I have no problem with, but there's a difference between leaving behind fame and fortune for a greater cause (even raising your own kids) and simply having having the dignity not to do an occasional episode of the Hollywood Squares.
