8 celebrities who left the US or are considering moving for political reasons

• Since the 2016 US presidential election, celebrities have been saying they’d move out of the country.

• More stars made similar comments after Donald Trump won the 2024 election.

• Rosie O’Donnell recently confirmed that she moved to Ireland for political reasons.

The lifestyles of the rich and famous often include mansions in California, penthouses in the big city, and maybe a small pied-à-terre in a foreign country. But as politics becomes an increasingly divisive topic in the United States, some more celebrities are moving out of the country — or saying that they will.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi moved to England from California in response to the 2024 election results. Rosie O’Donnell — thanks to her Irish grandparents — is in the process of becoming an Irish citizen, citing the current US political climate as her reason for moving in a TikTok video. Other celebrities like Laverne Cox and Cher have vowed to leave the States but haven’t yet.

This isn’t exactly a new trend. During the 2016 US presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, many stars vocally opposed Trump and threatened to leave America if he won. Now, with Trump’s second term underway, celebrities are again considering relocating — not that the Trump administration is too upset.

“Good riddance!” White House assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers told BI when asked for the administration’s response.

Celebrities aren’t the only ones exploring a new place to live. Search interest for “move abroad” shows that peak interest occurred in November 2024. Though interest has since cooled off, it’s still higher than in previous years.

Bureaucracy.es, an immigration services site that helps Americans moving to Spain with the visa application process, told CNN in December 2024 that it’s seen over 300% more clients book consultations since the November election.

Here are 8 celebrities who have moved abroad, or say they will for political reasons.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi

In late November 2024, TheWrap reported that comedian Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, left their Montecito home for the Cotswolds, England. The publication said their move to the countryside was triggered by Trump’s election and a source said they’re “never coming back.”

Reps for DeGeneres and de Rossi didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Rosie O’Donnell

In a video recently posted on TikTok, Rosie O’Donnell confirmed that she moved from the US to Ireland with her youngest daughter, Dakota. The actor relocated on January 15, days before Trump’s inauguration.

“Although I was never someone who thought I would move to another country, that’s what I decided would be the best for myself and my 12-year-old child,” O’Donnell said in the video.

The talk show host, who has Irish grandparents, said her experience so far has been “pretty wonderful” and she’s in the process of getting Irish citizenship.

O’Donnell said that she misses her four other kids and her friends, but will remain in Ireland for the time being.

“I miss many things about life there at home, and I’m trying to find a home here in this beautiful country,” she said. “And when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there, in America, that’s when we will consider coming back.”

Sophie Turner

UK-born actor Sophie Turner moved to America after marrying singer Joe Jonas. The couple first lived together in Los Angeles and later in Miami with their two daughters Willa and Delphine. Turner and Jonas sold their Miami home in August 2023 and news of their plans to divorce broke weeks later.

In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar published in October 2024, Turner said that she was homesick while living in the US and struggled with the country’s politics. Turner has since moved to West London.

“The gun violence, Roe v Wade being overturned… Everything just kind of piled on,” Turner said. “After the Uvalde shooting, I knew it was time to get the fuck out of there.”

Barbra Streisand

It was no secret that Barbra Streisand wanted Hillary Clinton to beat Trump in the 2016 election.

“He has no facts,” Streisand told Australian “60 Minutes” host Michael Usher in a 2016 interview prior to the election. “I don’t know, I can’t believe it. I’m either coming to your country, if you’ll let me in, or Canada.”

Streisand didn’t move out of the US, but she did criticize Trump in her 2018 studio album “Walls.”

In a 2023 interview with Stephen Colbert, Streisand said that she liked Joe Biden and thought he did a “good job.” When asked about the possibility of a second Trump administration, Streisand again said she’d move.

“I can’t live in this country if he became president,” she said, adding that she’d probably move to England.

Per an Instagram post shared in early January amid the Los Angeles wildfires, it appears that Streisand still lives in Northern California. Reps for Streisand did not reply to a request for comment.

Cher

In November 2016, Page Six reported that Cher threatened to move if Trump was elected.

“I’m gonna have to leave the planet,” she reportedly said at a fundraiser for Clinton.

She had a similar stance before Trump officially ran for reelection.

“I almost got an ulcer the last time,” she told The Guardian in October 2023. “If he gets in, who knows? This time I will leave [the country].”

However, as of publication, it doesn’t appear that Cher has relocated. Reps for Cher did not reply to a request for comment.

Laverne Cox

Days after the 2024 presidential election, “Orange Is the New Black” star Laverne Cox appeared on the podcast “Just for Variety” and spoke about the impact the results would have on the transgender community.

Cox said that she and some friends were considering moving, but no plans have been solidified yet.

“We’re doing research on different cities in Europe and in the Caribbean,” Cox said.

“I don’t want to be in too much fear, but I’m scared,” the actor added. “As a public figure, with all my privilege, I’m scared, and I’m particularly scared because I’m a public figure. I feel like I could be targeted.”

Lena Dunham

At the 2016 Matrix Awards, “Girls” actor Lena Dunham said that she was serious about moving if Trump won the election.

“I know a lot of people have been threatening to do this, but I really will,” Dunham said. “I know a lovely place in Vancouver and I can get my work done from there.”

But after the election results, Dunham changed her mind.

“I can survive staying in this country, MY country, to fight and live and use my embarrassment of blessings to do what’s right,” she wrote in part in a note shared on Instagram.

“It’s easy to joke about moving to Canada,” she added. “It’s harder to see, and to love, the people who fill your mailbox with hate. It’s harder to see what needs to be done and do it. It’s harder to live, fully and painfully aware of the injustice surrounding us, to cherish and fear your country all at once. But I’m willing to try. Will you try with me?”

Dunham did eventually leave her home in New York and moved to London. However, in an interview with the New Yorker published in July 2024, the actor said the move was prompted by work opportunities.

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