21 Famous People Who’ve Retired From The Spotlight Or Seriously

August 15, 2024

21 Famous People Who’ve Retired Or Seriously Considered

There’s no business like show business, but at the end of the day, it’s still a job. Oftentimes, celebrities retire from the career path that made them famous, even if they’re still active in other parts of the industry.

Here are 13 famous people who recently retired:

1. During a Q&A on her 2024 “Ellen’s Last Stand…Up” tour, Ellen DeGeneres reportedly said, “This is the last time you’re going to see me. After my Netflix special, I’m done.”

2. In 2024, Bella Hadid stepped away from modeling and moved to Texas. She told Allure, “After 10 years of modeling, realized I was putting so much energy and love and effort into something that, in the long run, wasn’t necessarily giving it back to me.”

3. In a since-deleted 2023 Instagram post, celebrity stylist Law Roach announced his retirement, writing, “My Cup is empty, Thank you to everyone who’ve supported me and my career over the years. Every person that trusted me with their image, I’m so grateful for you all. If this business was just about the clothes I would do it for the rest of my life but unfortunately it’s not! The politics, the lies and false narratives finally got me! You win… I’m out.” However, on Twitter, he clarified he wasn’t “breaking up” with longtime client Zendaya.

4. In 2024, Scooter Braun — who famously managed artists like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande — announced his retirement from music management. In an Instagram statement, he said he wanted to focus on being “a father first, a CEO [of HYBE Americsa] second, and a manager no more.”

5. Ian Somerhalder left acting and moved to a farm with his family. In 2024, he told E! News, “I love what I did for a really long time. I love making films, I just did it for so long. We had an amazing run.”

6. In 2022, Jim Carrey told Access Hollywood, “Well, I’m retiring. Yeah, probably. I’m being fairly serious.”

7. In 2022 Daddy Yankee told People, “Today, I’m announcing my retirement from music by giving you my best production and my best concert tour. I will say goodbye celebrating these 32 years of experience with this new collector’s item, the album Legendaddy. I’m going to give you all the styles that have defined me, in one.”

8. In a 2024 Instagram post, Evangeline Lilly said, “I am so filled with joy and contentment today as I live out my vision. Praise God, I feel so grateful for my blessings. Stepping away from what seems like the obvious choice (wealth and fame) can feel scary at times, but stepping into your dharma replaces the fear with fulfillment.”

9. In 2018, Britney Spears announced an “indefinite work hiatus.” Then, in a 2021 Instagram post, she said she “quit” after her sister, Jamie-Lynn Spears, performed remixes of her old songs — something Britney claimed she’d asked to do herself and been told, “No.”

10. In 2024, Iggy Azalea seemingly shared her retirement from the music industry, tweeting, “I’ve always been someone who finds my joy in being creative & seeing my ideas come to life. For a long time I used music to deliver my big crazy ideas to the world. I know a lot of people have this idea that I was ‘bullied away from music’ and that’s something I’ve always laughed at because I’d never be bullied out of anything…In truth what I’ve known for a long time is that I feel more passionately about design and creative direction than I do about songwriting. That’s why I want to let you know that I’m not going to finish my album.”

11. In 2023, Michael Caine told BBC Radio, “I keep saying I’m going to retire. Well, I am now. I’ve figured I’ve had a picture [The Great Escaper] where I’ve played the lead and had incredible reviews…What am I going to do that will beat this?”

12. Daniel Day-Lewis retired from acting in 2017. In a statement, his publicist told BuzzFeed News, “Daniel Day-Lewis will no longer be working as an actor. He is immensely grateful to all of his collaborators and audiences over the many years. This is a private decision and neither he nor his representatives will make any further comment on this subject.”

13. And in a 2019 Facebook post, Gilmore Girls actor David Sutcliffe said, “I officially retired from acting last week.⁣⁣⁣⁣ It was a long time coming. My heart hasn’t been in it for years, but it wasn’t easy letting go of a career that gave me so much for so long…As some of you know, I’ve spent the last twelve years immersed in a deep study of Core Energetics, a powerful somatic psychotherapy that uncovers the unconscious emotional blocks that keep us from being fully alive and engaged with life. I was personally transformed by the work, and in 2012, I graduated from the 4-year training program at the Radical Aliveness Institute in Southern California. I’ve been leading groups and workshops ever since. ”

And here are 8 celebs who are considering retiring soon:

14. In 2024, Mary J. Blige told Extra, “Right now, I’m definitely gonna do some more acting, and I’m definitely gonna retire in, like, five or six years.”

15. In 2021, Selena Gomez told Vogue, “It’s hard to keep doing music when people don’t necessarily take you seriously. I’ve had moments where I’ve been like, ‘What’s the point? Why do I keep doing this?’ ‘Lose You to Love Me’ I felt was the best song I’ve ever released, and for some people, it still wasn’t enough. I think there are a lot of people who enjoy my music, and for that I’m so thankful, for that I keep going, but I think the next time I do an album, it’ll be different. I want to give it one last try before I maybe retire music.”

16. In 2023, Nicolas Cage told Vanity Fair, “It’s starting to solidify — I’m starting to cement my plan. I may have three or four more movies left in me.”

17. In 2024, Keke Palmer told Teen Vogue, “I think the timer has started. I think it’s because I just haven’t felt it yet. But the timer, I know that it’s around the corner. I don’t know when exactly, but it’s around the corner.” She later clarified to People, “People took that literally, but I was thinking in like 20 years!”

18. In 2023, Jessica Lange told the Telegraph, “I think I’m going to start phasing out of filmmaking.” She also clarified she was thinking of retiring.

19. In 2022, Terrence Howard told Entertainment Tonight, “This is the end for me. This is the end for me. I don’t know if it’s the end for the rest of them. I retired two years ago, for the most part. I was done…I asked Sidney Poitier ten years ago, does he want to do any more work, and he said, ‘Why would I spend my last 10 years doing an impersonation of myself?’ And that’s what I’ve gotten to.”

20. In 2021, Liam Neeson told Entertainment Tonight, “I’m 68 and a half. 69 this year. There’s a couple more I’m going to do this year — hopefully, COVID allowing us — there’s a couple in the pipeline and, then I think that will probably be it.”

21. And finally, in 2022, Gary Oldman told the Sunday Times, “I’m 65 next year, 70 is around the corner. I don’t want to be active when I’m 80. I’d be very happy and honored and privileged to go out as Jackson Lamb [in Slow Horses] — and then hang it up.”