Mindy Kaling explains why she stopped acting in her own shows, clarifying that her absence from recent projects is driven by superstition and a new focus on creating opportunities for others. Speaking as part of the Paley Media Council Series, Kaling shared that although her Hollywood beginnings involved both writing and starring roles, she deliberately chose to remain off-screen in recent productions such as “Never Have I Ever,” a series inspired in part by her own Indian American upbringing.
“A show literally about an Indian American family in Southern California, and if I wasn’t on that—what’s wrong with me?”
—Mindy Kaling, Creator
Kaling elaborated that superstition has guided her decision-making, explaining,
“I think there is a part of me that feels a little superstitious. I’m like, these seem to have gone well and I’m not in them so maybe I’ll wait.”
—Mindy Kaling, Creator
Despite stepping back from acting, the “Sex Lives of College Girls” creator hinted she might return to the screen after reflecting on her love for performing.
“I would like to write or co-create a show for me to act in soon.”
—Mindy Kaling, Creator
Kaling described the combined experience of writing and acting as
“unbelievably fun and it’s so efficient.”
—Mindy Kaling, Creator. She continued,
“I would love to do that again.”
—Mindy Kaling, Creator, and suggested a return could come after launching other projects currently in development:
“That’s the thing that maybe in the next couple years, when I launch a couple other things that are earlier in the pipeline, that would be something that would be fun to do again.”
—Mindy Kaling, Creator
When she does step back in front of the camera, Kaling has voiced interest in supporting other performers rather than taking the lead.
“I wouldn’t have to be the lead in my own show if I was writing it,”
—Mindy Kaling, Creator.
“I would love to write a show for someone amazing and then play a supporting part in it.”
—Mindy Kaling, Creator
High-Profile Stars Who Left the Spotlight
Kaling’s approach echoes a broader trend among celebrity creatives choosing new directions beyond acting. Several notable names have also stepped away from the screen in recent years, whether for personal growth, new careers, or to prioritize family.
Ellen DeGeneres Stepping Away from Showbiz
Ellen DeGeneres concluded her landmark talk show in 2022 after nearly two decades before announcing her intention to leave Hollywood. During her standup tour “Ellen’s Last Stand…Up,” she told her audience,
“This is the last time you’re going to see me,”
—Ellen DeGeneres, Host, and added,
“After my Netflix special, I’m done.”
—Ellen DeGeneres, Host. Since ending her show, DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi relocated to England.
Tyra Banks Finds Opportunity Down Under
Tyra Banks, once at the helm of “America’s Next Top Model,” has shifted her focus to entrepreneurship, spending significant time in Australia to develop her ice cream company, SMiZE and Dream.
“So I have this ice cream company, SMiZE and Dream,”
—Tyra Banks, Supermodel and Businesswoman. She explained her product strategy:
“But we’ve been more what we call B2B, like on an airplane and on cruises. I’ve been going to Australia a lot because we were making a lot of our ice cream there in a big facility doing our recipes. And I just fell in love with it every time I went back and went back.”
—Tyra Banks, Supermodel and Businesswoman. Banks noted that Australia has become like home:
“Australia has been a dream come true for me and my family.”
—Tyra Banks, Supermodel and Businesswoman
Eva Longoria Relocates for Work and Family
Eva Longoria, best known for “Desperate Housewives,” made a major move with her family in response to changes in Los Angeles and work opportunities in Europe and Mexico.
“I had my whole adult life here,”
—Eva Longoria, Actress. She cited shifts brought by the pandemic and evolving city life, ultimately leading her to spend more time abroad:
“But even before [the pandemic], it was changing. The vibe was different. And then Covid happened, and it pushed it over the edge. Whether it’s the homelessness or the taxes, not that I want to s–t on California—it just feels like this chapter in my life is done now.”
—Eva Longoria, Actress. Longoria clarified that her move was motivated by professional demands:
“I didn’t leave because of the political environment,”
—Eva Longoria, Actress and Director.
“I left because my work took me there since Land of Women—shooting six months in Catalonia, then four months in Mexico for Searching for Mexico, then back to Spain. Now I’ve been there for years. So I just don’t like that it’s politicized.”
—Eva Longoria, Actress and Director
Richard Gere Embraces Life in Spain
Richard Gere, the acclaimed star whose filmography spans decades, followed his wife Alejandra Silva to live in Madrid.
“My wife is Spanish, and she gave me about seven years here,”
—Richard Gere, Actor.
“And so we’re going to spend some years in Madrid.”
—Richard Gere, Actor. With children adapting to a bilingual environment, Gere described his family’s happiness:
“The truth is that you are seeing us in our momentum,”
—Richard Gere, Actor. “We are happier than ever.” —Richard Gere, Actor
Christina Milian Finds Balance in Paris
Christina Milian, after commuting between France and the United States, settled permanently in Paris to provide her children with an international education.
“My husband is French, and we’ve been together for over seven or eight years,”
—Christina Milian, Singer and Actress.
“And for the last three or four years we were commuting back and forth every six months.”
—Christina Milian, Singer and Actress. She added about their new life:
“They’re all going to school in Paris,”
—Christina Milian, Singer and Actress.
“What better than an opportunity than that?”
—Christina Milian, Singer and Actress. Milian shared her fulfillment: “My kids are happy there,” —Christina Milian, Singer and Actress.
“They know French. We go to the park. I have an active lifestyle that’s really nice during the day. Then at night time, I do my work because I work hours ahead. It’s a nice, healthy balance for me.”
—Christina Milian, Singer and Actress
Lindsay Lohan Escapes the Paparazzi
Lindsay Lohan reflected on how media scrutiny shaped her decision to move abroad, living in London, Dubai, and even opening clubs in Greece.
“I feel like some of [my work] got overshadowed by paparazzi and all that kind of stuff when I was younger, and that’s kind of annoying,”
—Lindsay Lohan, Actress.
“I wish that part didn’t happen. I feel like that kind of took on a life of its own. So that’s why I wanted to disappear. I was like, ‘Unless there’s no story here, they’re not going to focus on just my work.’”
—Lindsay Lohan, Actress. She shared further personal insight:
“I was like, ‘What if I never fall in love? What if this never happens?’”
—Lindsay Lohan, Actress. Lohan emphasized that time alone allowed her desired changes:
“It took me just taking time for me for all those doors to open and the ‘yeses’ to come—the things I wanted to say ‘yes’ to.”
—Lindsay Lohan, Actress
Josh Hartnett Pursues Growth in England
Josh Hartnett described his exit from Hollywood as a quest for more enriching experiences outside the entertainment bubble.
“Hollywood is more than a place; it’s like a state of mind,”
—Josh Hartnett, Actor.
“If you’re around people who are constantly talking about the movie business, your life is going to be pretty much one note. And I’ve never wanted that.”
—Josh Hartnett, Actor. He values new influences:
“I’ve always wanted to be around … people generally doing lots of other things that would bring my mind off of my work and force me to grow in different directions,”
—Josh Hartnett, Actor.
“To me, that’s the spice of life.”
—Josh Hartnett, Actor. Hartnett, now settled in rural Hampshire with his wife Tamsin Egerton and their four children, shared,
“With four children, you have so much to do. In a way, less is happening. But more of the important stuff is happening.”
—Josh Hartnett, Actor
Jesse Eisenberg Finds Comfort Far from Los Angeles
Oscar-nominated Jesse Eisenberg revealed his long-standing decision to make his home in Indiana.
“I’ve lived in Indiana for the last decade on-and-off,”
—Jesse Eisenberg, Actor.
“That’s where I feel the most comfortable. I’m not somebody who wants to surround myself in an industry that just feels kind of unstable to me.”
—Jesse Eisenberg, Actor. Describing family life, he shared,
“I’m not on social media, and I’m not a person who’s on the phone with industry people all the time,”
—Jesse Eisenberg, Actor.
“So, my life feels pretty separate. My wife is a teacher. My kid doesn’t really even watch movies. So, I’m not like knee-deep in the world of constantly trying to assess my own status in an industry.”
—Jesse Eisenberg, Actor
Eliza Dushku Palandjian Answers a Different Calling
Eliza Dushku Palandjian left behind a successful acting career to pursue her passion in mental health and therapy.
“I had the means to shift directions and choose a course in my life that focused on healing myself so that I could help heal others,”
—Eliza Dushku Palandjian, Mental Health Professional.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t now share the transformation and the peace and the passion that I have. This is just absolutely so clearly my real calling, my real purpose.”
—Eliza Dushku Palandjian, Mental Health Professional
Rosie O’Donnell Begins a New Life in Ireland
Rosie O’Donnell relocated to Ireland with her youngest child and is in the process of obtaining Irish citizenship. O’Donnell has stated that political concerns influenced her decision to move. She addressed the adjustment:
“I miss my friends. I miss many things about life there at home and I’m trying to find a home here in in this beautiful country. And when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that’s when we will consider coming back.”
—Rosie O’Donnell, Actress and Comedian
Evangeline Lilly Steps Away After Two Decades on Screen
Evangeline Lilly, known for roles in major franchises, announced a break from acting to explore new personal fulfillment.
“I am so filled with joy and contentment today as I live out my vision,”
—Evangeline Lilly, Actress.
“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.”
—Evangeline Lilly, Actress. She left the door open for a future return:
“I might return to Hollywood one day, but, for now, this is where I belong.”
—Evangeline Lilly, Actress
Ian Somerhalder Pursues Environmental Advocacy
Ian Somerhalder, previously seen in “The Vampire Diaries” and Netflix’s “V-Wars,” shifted focus to family and environmental causes.
“I stepped away from acting a little over four years ago to raise my kids, build my companies and get these films launched,”
—Ian Somerhalder, Actor and Producer. Looking to the future, he added,
“I will be a rancher and building legacy brands, whether it’s my bourbon or my health and wellness company, and the regenerative agriculture and healthy soil management practices that I live by and our family lives by. That’s where my life was going. So when people say ‘Why do you care?’ That’s why I care. Because that’s who I am, that’s what I’m going to become.”
—Ian Somerhalder, Actor and Producer
Jennette McCurdy Finds Fulfillment in New Creative Paths
Jennette McCurdy, recognized for her work on Nickelodeon, left acting due to feeling disconnected with her previous roles.
“My experience with acting is, I’m so ashamed of the parts I’ve done in the past,”
—Jennette McCurdy, Author and Former Actress.
“I resent my career in a lot of ways. I feel so unfulfilled by the roles that I played and felt like it was the most cheesy, embarrassing. I did the shows that I was on from like 13 to 21, and by 15, I was already embarrassed. My friends at 15, they’re not like, ‘Oh, cool, you’re on this Nickelodeon show.’ It was embarrassing.”
—Jennette McCurdy, Author and Former Actress. She discussed a possible return:
“I do feel like only through writing the book have I gotten to a place where I think there might be a way of exploring acting that doesn’t carry that baggage that I carried with me for so long,”
—Jennette McCurdy, Author and Former Actress.
“Maybe if I write something for myself. I think that’d really be maybe one of the only ways I could kind of try exploring it again.”
—Jennette McCurdy, Author and Former Actress
Meghan Markle’s Royal Transition and New Ventures
Meghan Markle followed a historic path from Hollywood to royalty, leaving her role on “Suits” and her life in Toronto behind to become the Duchess of Sussex. Since stepping back from royal duties, Markle has slowly re-engaged with media, creating documentaries like “Harry & Meghan” and launching “With Love, Meghan” on Netflix. Alongside Prince Harry, her public focus has moved towards philanthropic and creative pursuits from their home in Montecito, California.
Cameron Diaz: Balancing Family, Wellbeing, and an Occasional Acting Comeback
Cameron Diaz has taken a lengthy break from acting after decades of nonstop work.
“I just decided that I wanted different things out of my life,”
—Cameron Diaz, Actress. She explained the demands of work,
“I had gone so hard for so long, working, making films and it’s such a grind. When you’re making a movie—it’s a perfect excuse—they own you. You’re there for 12 hours a day for months on end and you have no time for anything else.”
—Cameron Diaz, Actress. Diaz turned her attention to wellness, writing, and starting a family with Benji Madden. She stated in 2019,
“I don’t miss performing. Right now I’m looking at the landscape of wellness and all that,”
—Cameron Diaz, Actress. Yet, fellow actor Jamie Foxx managed to bring her back, sharing,
“We just begged and pleased on my knees, like, ‘Just give the people one more again,’”
—Jamie Foxx, Actor.
“We love her, we’ve been waiting on her and this is just gonna be fantastic.”
—Jamie Foxx, Actor
Terrence Howard Stands Firm on Retirement
Terrence Howard, after his pivotal run in “Empire,” has repeatedly declared his retirement from acting.
“Oh, I’m done with acting. I’m done pretending.”
—Terrence Howard, Actor. Promoting
“The Best Man: The Final Chapters,”
he mentioned,
“I’ve gotten to the point where now I’ve given the very best that I have as an actor,”
—Terrence Howard, Actor,
“Now I’m enjoying watching other new talent come around, and I don’t want to do an impersonation of myself.”
—Terrence Howard, Actor
Jack Gleeson Redefines His Relationship with Acting
Jack Gleeson, catapulted to fame for his role as Joffrey in “Game of Thrones,” left the industry shortly after his character’s dramatic exit.
“I’ve been acting since age 8,”
—Jack Gleeson, Actor.
“I just stopped enjoying it as much as I used to.”
—Jack Gleeson, Actor. He decided against acting as a profession:
“Now there’s the prospect of doing it for a living, whereas up until now it was always something I did for recreation with my friends, or in the summer for some fun,”
—Jack Gleeson, Actor,
“I enjoyed it. When you make a living from something, it changes your relationship with it. It’s not like I hate it, it’s just not what I want to do.”
—Jack Gleeson, Actor
Phoebe Cates Prioritizes Family
Phoebe Cates and husband Kevin Kline made a family-based decision early on. He explained,
“Agreed to alternate so that we’re never working at the same time,”
—Kevin Kline, Actor.
“Whenever it’s been her slot to work, Phoebe has chosen to stay with the children.”
—Kevin Kline, Actor. Cates makes occasional screen appearances but runs the Blue Tree boutique in New York City as her main endeavor.
Rick Moranis Chooses Parenthood Over Stardom
Rick Moranis stepped back from a highly successful film career in the 1990s following the loss of his wife, devoting his time to raising his children. Despite his extended absence from live-action roles, Moranis remains a beloved figure, with audiences eagerly anticipating his return in Disney’s forthcoming “Shrunk.”
Leelee Sobieski Leaves Acting for Motherhood and Art
Leelee Sobieski opted out of acting after starting a family.
“Ninety percent of acting roles involve so much sexual stuff with other people, and I don’t want to do that,”
—Leelee Sobieski, Actress.
“It’s such a strange fire to play with, and our relationship is surely strong enough to handle it, but if you’re going to walk through fire, there has to be something incredible on the other side.”
—Leelee Sobieski, Actress. She confirmed,
“I don’t do movie stuff anymore. I am totally an outsider! I … am just a mom and an outsider,”
—Leelee Sobieski, Actress.
“I am just focused on my kids. I think that’s mainly why I stopped.”
—Leelee Sobieski, Actress
Portia de Rossi Pursues Business Aspirations
Portia de Rossi’s long acting career spanned popular series until she decided to focus on entrepreneurial interests.
“I was approaching 45 and I just kind of…was wondering is there something that I could tackle now that I’ve never done before that would be really challenging and different,”
—Portia de Rossi, Entrepreneur.
“I kind of knew what acting would look like for me for the next 10, 20 years, so I decided to quit and start a business.”
—Portia de Rossi, Entrepreneur. She shared her process with the creator of “Arrested Development”:
“I called Mitch Hurwitz, who’s the creator of Arrested Development and I said, ‘If there is a season 5, I won’t be doing it because I quit acting. And he seemed really understanding and he totally got it. We had a great conversation, and then he wrote me into five episodes.”
—Portia de Rossi, Entrepreneur
Daniel Day-Lewis Declares the End of an Era
Daniel Day-Lewis, after an astounding career featuring three Academy Award wins, revealed his decision to quit acting. His representatives conveyed,
“He 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.”
—Representatives for Daniel Day-Lewis. Day-Lewis will, however, return for one upcoming project written with his son Ronan Day-Lewis.
Bridgit Mendler Builds a STEM-Focused Life
Bridgit Mendler, formerly known for Disney roles, made a complete turn after pausing her acting career in 2018 to pursue advanced degrees at MIT and Harvard Law School. She later founded Northwood Space, a startup developing satellite network infrastructure, becoming CEO in 2023.
The Meaning of These Celebrity Choices
The journeys of Mindy Kaling, Ellen DeGeneres, Tyra Banks, and other well-known names highlight a powerful shift in the culture of celebrity, where fame no longer has a rigid hold over those who seek fulfillment in other roles. Mindy Kaling’s willingness to let others shine on screen, while preserving the option to return, sets a model for balancing creative ambitions and personal priorities. Meanwhile, choices made by stars like Eva Longoria, Richard Gere, and Portia de Rossi reflect that stepping outside the Hollywood spotlight—whether to launch a business, raise a family, or pursue a passion—can offer a sense of satisfaction and belonging that the industry might not always be able to provide. As some are already exploring comeback projects and others find happiness away from movie sets, the door remains open—for return, evolution, or a new chapter altogether.
