There’s no business like show business, but at the end of the day, it’s still a job. Celebrities often retire from the careers that made them famous, even if they’re still active in other areas of the industry.
Here are 13 famous people who recently retired:
1.
During a Q&A session on her 2024 “Ellen’s Last Stand…Up” tour, Ellen DeGeneres reportedly said, “This is the last time you’ll see me. After my Netflix special, I’m done.”
2.
In 2024, Bella Hadid quit modeling and moved to Texas. She told Allure, “After 10 years of modeling, I realized that I was putting so much energy, love and effort into something that wasn’t necessarily giving me anything back in the long run.”
3.
In a now-deleted 2023 Instagram post, celebrity stylist Law Roach announced his retirement, writing, “My cup is empty. Thank you to everyone who has supported me and my career over the years. I am so grateful to everyone who has trusted me with their image. If this business was just about the clothes, I would do it for the rest of my life, but unfortunately that’s not the case! The politics, lies and false narratives have finally got me! You guys won… I’m out.” However, he clarified on Twitter that he is not “breaking up” with his longtime client Zendaya.
4.
In 2024, Scooter Braun – who famously managed artists such as 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, CEO (of HYBE America) second, and no longer a manager.”
5.
Ian Somerhalder gave up 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 movies, I just did it for so long. We had an incredible time.”
6.
In 2022, Jim Carrey told Access Hollywood: “So, I’m retiring. Yeah, probably. I’m pretty serious about it.”
7.
In 2022, Daddy Yankee told People: “Today I announce my retirement from music by presenting you my best production and my best concert tour. I will say goodbye and celebrate these 32 years of experience with this new collector’s item, the album Legendary dad. I will present to you all the styles that have influenced me in one.”
8th.
In a 2024 Instagram post, Evangeline Lilly said, “I am so full of joy and contentment today as I live out my vision. Praise God, I am so grateful for my blessings. Turning away from the seemingly obvious choice (wealth and fame) can be scary at times, but when you turn to your dharma, fear is replaced with fulfillment.”
9.
In 2018, Britney Spears announced an “indefinite hiatus from work.” Then, in a 2021 Instagram post, she said she “quit” after her sister Jamie-Lynn Spears performed remixes of her old songs – something Britney herself asked for and was told “no.”
10.
In 2024, Iggy Azalea apparently announced her retirement from the music industry, tweeting, “I’ve always been someone who enjoys being creative and seeing my ideas come to life. For a long time, I’ve used music to communicate my big, crazy ideas to the world. I know a lot of people think I was ‘bullied away from music’ and that’s something I’ve always laughed about because I would never let anything bully me away… In truth, I’ve known for a long time that I’m more passionate about design and creative direction than songwriting. So I want to let you know that I will not be finishing my album.”
11.
In 2023, Michael Caine told BBC Radio: “I always say I’m going to retire. Well, I am now. I thought I’d have a picture (The Great Escapee), where I played the lead role and got incredible reviews… What can I do to top that?”
12.
Daniel Day-Lewis retired from acting in 2017. In a statement, his publicist told BuzzFeed News: “Daniel Day-Lewis will no longer be acting. He is immensely grateful to all of his collaborators and audiences over the years. This is a private decision and neither he nor his representatives will be making any further comment on the matter.”
13.
And in a Facebook post from 2019: Gilmore Girls Actor David Sutcliffe said: “I officially retired from acting last week. It was long overdue. My heart hadn’t been in it for years, but it wasn’t easy to give up a career that had given me so much for so long… As some of you know, I have spent the last twelve years intensively practicing Core Energetics, a powerful somatic psychotherapy that uncovers the unconscious emotional blocks that keep us from being fully alive and engaging with life. The work has been transformative for me personally, and in 2012 I completed the four-year training program at the Radical Aliveness Institute in Southern California. I have been leading groups and workshops ever since.”
And here are 8 celebrities who are considering retiring soon:
14.
In 2024, Mary J. Blige told Extra, “For now, I’m definitely going to do some more acting and definitely retire in about five or six years.”
15.
In 2021, Selena Gomez told Vogue, “It’s hard to keep making music when people aren’t necessarily taking you seriously. I’ve had moments where I’ve been like, ‘What’s the point? Why am I keeping doing this?’ ‘Lose You to Love Me’ was, in my opinion, 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 like my music, and I’m so grateful for that, that I keep going, but I think the next time I make an album, it’ll be different. I want to try it one more time before I maybe put music on hold.”
16.
In 2023, Nicolas Cage told Vanity Fair: “It’s starting to take shape – I’m starting to flesh out my plan. I may have three or four more films 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, is coming up. I don’t know exactly when, but it’s coming up.” She later clarified to People, “People took that literally, but I thought, like, 20 years from now!”
18.
In 2023, Jessica Lange told the Telegraph, she will “believably start to exit the film business.” She also made it clear that she is thinking about retiring.
19.
In 2022, Terrence Howard told Entertainment Tonight, “This is the end of me. This is the end of me. I don’t know if it’s the end of anyone else. I mostly retired two years ago. I was done… I asked Sidney Poitier ten years ago if he wanted to work any more, and he said, ‘Why would I spend my last ten years imitating myself?’ And that’s what I’ve accomplished.”
20.
In 2021, Liam Neeson told Entertainment Tonight: “I’m 68.5. I’ll be 69 this year. I’ll do a couple more this year – hopefully COVID allows it – a couple are in the pipeline and that’s probably it, I think.”
21.
And finally, Gary Oldman told the Sunday Times in 2022: “I’ll be 65 next year, 70 is just around the corner. I don’t want to be active anymore when I’m 80. I would be very happy and honoured and privileged to be Jackson Lamb (in Slow horses) – and then hang it up.”
