Top Actress Joins Wave of Stars Leaving Hollywood for a 'Simpler Life
After living in Hollywood for 40 years, actress Andie MacDowell says she is much happier now that she has settled for a much simpler life in South Carolina.
"I'm happier now than I have been in a long time," the "Way Home" star recently shared during an appearance on "The Drew Barrymore Show." While MacDowell had once lived in Asheville, NC, when her children were younger, she had moved back to Los Angeles in 2012.
Now she has returned to her roots in the South once again. "I moved to South Carolina, and I really, I'm taking good care of myself. It took me forever," she added. "Once my kids left, I felt this huge void in my life, because they were so important to me."
The 66-year-old mother of three said it was her 30-year-old daughter Margaret who helped her overcome the anxiety of being an empty nester.
"Margaret really was kinda telling me I was supposed to be having the time of my life, but I wasn't," the actress said. "But now I am. I'm having the time of my life now. It's really good."
MacDowell even said the move has her thinking about reconnecting with the church environment she grew up in. "I have just moved to South Carolina, and there's an Episcopal church that's not that far away that I think I might start going to, but right now I'm not," she said.
Stars Leaving Hollywood in Search of Peace
MacDowell is part of a broader trend of stars fleeing Los Angeles in search of a peaceful, family-oriented life away from the Hollywood scene.
As CBN News reported, actress Ali Larter and her family left Los Angeles during the pandemic to move to Sun Valley, Idaho and has no plans to return.
"We fell in love with the beauty of the mountains and their quiet grandness," she told Rue Magazine.
Actor Kirk Cameron shared last year that he fled California for Tennessee. "It's pretty clear that California has been moving in a particular direction for a long time," he told the Washington Examiner.
The 53-year-old said he discovered Tennessee has become a haven for "a lot of California refugees," including many "creatives" looking for a new place outside of Hollywood to establish community, CBN Digital reports.
His sister, Candace Cameron Bure, has joined the exodus from L.A., explaining why she had to leave. "We didn't feel safe anymore," she told Fox News. "And that was the biggest reason that we moved."
"Not everyone in Hollywood lives behind guard gates, and we weren't behind gates," Bure explained.
She told the outlet that fans would hide on their property and take photos of her family.
"It's amazing what people feel they can do," she said. "And wanting to be a part of your life in some way. Some of it is innocent, some of it wasn't. But it's quite unnerving when you're just trying to be a person and live life, and you don't know what's around the corner."
Cameron Bure's Great American Family channel co-star, Danica McKellar, has made her home in Tennessee, as well.
McKellar said that after living in L.A. her entire life she wanted to leave the city for a more rural area.
"My husband and I have been wanting more nature for a long time. We were kind of ready to not be in a city anymore," she told PEOPLE adding that she now has maple trees that turn "gold and pink and orange and red" in her backyard – a welcome change from L.A.'s metropolis.
Sylvester Stallone's Big Announcement
Film icon Sylvester Stallone also decided to leave the "Golden State" last year, heading for the "Sunshine State" instead.
He made the announcement last year during the season two premiere of "The Family Stallone," a reality show on Paramount+.
"After long, hard consideration, your mother (Jennifer Flavin Stallone) and I have decided, time to move on and leave the state of California permanently," he told his family over dinner. "And, we're going to Florida."
Jennifer said now that her daughters Scarlet, Sistine, and Sophia are out of the house she was ready for the change.
Jennifer, 55, and her 77-year-old film icon husband became empty nesters after 27-year-old Sophia and 25-year-old Sistine moved together to New York City, while their youngest Scarlet, 21, headed off to college at the University of Miami.
READ: Hollywood Icon Sylvester Stallone Reveals His Mom Tried to Abort Him Several Times
"I raised all three of our daughters in California," she said. "Everything's a memory to me, memories of them not being there anymore. So, I needed a big change and Sly went along with it."
The "Rocky" star said he agreed to it because he knows that his wife is seeking adventure.
"The thing is, I don't want to shake things up, but I know my wife wants big adventure," he said.
Many of Hollywood's elite like Matthew McConaughey, James Van Der Beek, and Glen Powell have also found solace in other states including Texas and New York.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: In reporting about the faith and family journeys of high-profile individuals, CBN does not endorse any behavior or movies that may not line up with the Word of God. We are simply reporting positive developments in their spiritual journey. As always, we encourage our readers to pray for anyone and everyone in the news, that the fruit of God would grow in all of our lives.
