7 Celebrities Who Quit Hollywood

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Achieving Hollywood success delivers many things, most notably fame and fortune. But for some, it can be a little too much. While most aspiring actors and actresses dream that they will hit the big time and become Hollywood superstars, there are some celebrities who decide that star status is no longer for them and leave it all behind. Sometimes, Hollywood doesn’t deliver the desired fulfillment. Then in some cases, people make the transition for personal reasons or because they are fed up with the industry. Other times, these actors and actresses just need a break. Given this, it may come as no surprise that some celebrities decide to let go of the glitz and glamour for varying reasons to pursue something else. Here are seven celebrities who quit Hollywood.

Freddie Prinze Jr.

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The jury is still out on why Freddie Prinze Jr. left Hollywood behind. He admitted in an interview with ABC News that his experiences on 24 alongside co-star Kiefer Sutherland made him want to quit acting all together. ‘I did ’24.’ It was terrible. I hated every moment of it,” Prinze Jr. told ABC News. “Kiefer was the most unprofessional dude in the world. That’s not me talking trash. I’d say it to his face. I think everybody that’s worked with him has said that. And I just wanted to quit the business after that. So, I just sort of stopped.” In recent years, he has gotten involved with WWE. Today, you can find Prinze Jr. sharing adorable moments with his wife Sarah Michelle Gellar on social media. The two have been married for more than a decade. Their love will inspire you.

Meg Ryan

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Meg Ryan was America’s favorite on-screen sweetheart in the late ‘80s, early ‘90s. We remember her in films like Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally, City of Angels and You’ve Got Mail. But she decided to remove herself from the spotlight following her divorce from her ten-year marriage with Dennis Quaid as a result of a brief affair with Russell Crowe. At the time, many acting opportunities were still on the table but her head was no longer in it. In 2008, she opened up about the demise of her marriage and her affair with Russell Crowe with InStyle, saying it was painful but liberating to go from being seen as America’s Sweetheart to the scarlet woman. “So this is what it feels like to be the scarlet woman. Oh! I’m having that experience now! It was also incredibly liberating. Now I was utterly free,” Ryan said. “I didn’t have to care about what people thought. I have gotten to do what I guess I secretly wanted to do. Be totally under the radar and live my life.” Today, Ryan makes rare public appearances but when she does, she definitely turns heads.

Jack Gleeson

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The former king of Westeros on HBO’s hit series, Game of Thrones told the Irish Independent that he planned to retire from acting when his turn on the show wrapped up, saying he preferred a simple life over the glitz of Hollywood. “It was always a recreation before, but when I started doing Game of Thrones, perhaps the reality was made too real for me,” Gleeson said. “The lifestyle that comes with being an actor in a successful TV show isn’t something I gravitate towards.” He also added that his decision not to pursue an acting career after the show was partly the result of his studies at Dublin’s Trinity College, where he’s been focusing on theology and philosophy.

Dave Chappelle

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There was a lot of controversy around Dave Chappelle’s abrupt decision to leave his widely popular sketch comedy show, Chappelle Show, in 2005 midway through its third season. His exit was ultimately for ethical reasons. Chappelle felt that his show was no longer doing what he intended for it to do and that his audience was completely missing the message of his skits. Because of this, he left $50 million on the table and headed to South Africa for a few weeks to get away from it all. He opened up about the abrupt ending of his series with David Letterman in 2014, joking around that he technically never quit. “I’m seven years late for work,” Chappelle joked. However, he recently made a number of talk and comedy show appearances that could suggest a comeback.

Amanda Bynes

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Many of us remember Amanda Bynes as a rising Nickelodeon star, on hit shows like All That and The Amanda Show. She was a promising young actress. But her career came to an abrupt halt in 2010, with her making her last appearance in, Easy A. That year, the former child star told Twitter fans that she was ending her acting career at 24. “Being an actress isn’t as fun as it may seem,” she tweeted. “If I don’t love something, I stop doing it. I don’t love acting anymore, so I’ve stopped doing.” She also announced that she would be retiring to focus on fashion. Unfortunately, Bynes had several public meltdowns and scuffles with the police, including a 2012 arrest for driving under the influence. She has also been caught on camera several times acting strangely and made tons of bizarre statements on Twitter that have given her a reputation of being a bit unstable.

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