Celebrities Who Traded The Spotlight For A Normal Life
If you travel to Hollywood, you’ll notice everyone is trying so badly to break into the business that it’s a shock when someone wants to leave. For the rest of us peasants, it’s hard to comprehend why someone would want to forget about fame, stardom, and an endless flow of cash for a normal life. But hey, some people do it.
For most of these celebrities, they choose to leave the limelight, but others didn’t have a choice. One actor went bankrupt thanks to his parents and was forced to work as a security guard for life. Some of these celebrities still find their way onto our TV screens every once in a while, but when it happens we all stop and ask, “wait, who is that again?”
Angus Jones Went From A “Half” To A Whole
You might recognize Angus T. Jones as Jake from Two and a Half Men, but after the show ended, he moved on with his life. Jones is now a co-founder of the event planning company Tonite.
All Right Stop, Flip This House, And Listen
After Vanilla Ice ran out of songs to steal he got into flipping houses. He’s so into the housing market that he has a TV show and book about his house flipping adventures. As an avid watcher of HGTV, I am most interested in which tile he uses for the kitchen backsplash to entice homebuyers.
Peter Ostrum Found A Golden Ticket To Happiness
If this guy looks familiar, it’s because he’s the original holder of Willy Wonka’s golden ticket. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was Peter Ostrum’s first and last film. When he was just 12-years-old he left acting completely.
He is now a large-animal veterinarian and says he absolutely loves what he does.
Jeff Cohen Had Trouble Finding Other Acting Jobs
I guess if your first and most memorable role includes you shaking your belly, you might have trouble getting recast. Cohen left acting but not Hollywood.
He passed the bar and became a lawyer in 2000. Cohen is now a partner in Cohen Gardner LLP and specializes in entertainment lawsuits.
After His Wife Died, Rick Moranis Became A Full-Time Single Dad
Rick Moranis left acting for the most wholesome reason. After his wife died of breast cancer in 1997, Moranis completely quit his roles to become a full-time single father. If cash is ever short, Moranis will do occasional voice-over work, but for the most part, he’s coasting on royalties from his past blockbusters.
Gary Coleman Ended Up As A Security Guard Thanks To His Parents
Gary Coleman starred as Arnold Jackson on Diff’rent Strokes and would have stayed in Hollywood if it wasn’t for financial troubles. Coleman filed for bankruptcy in 1999, blaming it on himself, his parents, his lawyers, and his manager.
He had a rough life after Hollywood. Coleman worked as a security guard until his sudden death in 2010.
MC Hammer Became A Minister And Married A Couple On TRL
MC Hammer could rely on his dance moves forever. However, Hammer left the entertainment industry to become a minister. He occasionally pleases fans by performing his hit “U Can’t Touch This.” And no one will forget the time he sang in the New Year alongside Psy’s “Gangnam Style.” 2013 was such a simple time.
The Little Kid From The Shining Has Had Every Job In The Book
Danny Lloyd was only six years old when he starred in The Shining, and he didn’t even know he was acting in a horror film. Lloyd starred in one other TV film before retiring from acting.
Since then, he’s had every job in the book, from being a farmer to a community college professor.
Being The Most Hated Villain On TV Was Enough For One Lifetime
Jack Gleeson infuriated fans of Game of Thrones for four seasons as King Joffrey Baratheon. He is known to be one of the greatest villains of all time, and having that title was enough for Gleeson.
After his time on the show ended in 2013, he announced his retirement from acting to become a student at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.
Tony Danza Went From Taxi To Teaching
Tony Danza has always had a weird career. Before acting, he was a professional boxer. In 2009, he became a teacher and even had a documentary crew follow his year of teaching a tenth grade English class.
Danza ended up writing a book on his teaching experience called I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had which I think all of us can personally relate to.
Kirk Cameron Had Some Growing Pains And Became A Fundamentalist Christian Writer
Kirk Cameron may have been the star of Growing Pains, but no one remembers him because Leonardo DiCaprio arrived on set for the last season. After the show ended, he converted from atheist to fundamentalist Christian writer. Now he mostly talks about the sins of society, which has caused a lot of backlash from other celebrities.
Dylan Sprouse Is A Total Nerd Now
Dylan Sprouse went from starring on multiple Disney Channel shows to becoming a total New York art nerd. He got a four-year degree in video game design, then went on to open a brewery, the All-Wise Meadery, in Brooklyn.
His twin brother Cole starred on the CW show Riverdale. Dylan has done some small acting projects but has definitely stepped back from the spotlight.
JTT Just Couldn’t Handle Hollywood
Teenage girls around the world cried shamelessly when Jonathan Taylor Thomas left Home Improvement in 1998 to focus on academics. He totally stepped away from acting and has degrees from Harvard and Columbia.
He will occasionally guest-star on TV shows, but now he focuses mostly on his writing.
Topanga Became A Journalist
Danielle Fishel is best known for her role as Topanga in Boy Meets World. She was a ’90s superstar who will always be remembered as the girl who went to prom with a still-in-the-closet Lance Bass.
After the show, she became a journalist for PopSugar, but she was brought back to acting in 2014 when she reprised the role of Topanga for Girl Meets World. She is also one of the hosts of Pod Meets World.
Freddie Prinze Jr. Is The Husband Every Woman Dreams Of
If women weren’t already in love with Freddie Prinze Jr. thanks to all his 2000-era rom-coms, they are now. The actor left Hollywood and is now an amateur cook. In 2017 he released his first cookbook “Back To The Kitchen.”
If that’s not enough for you, the cookbook includes a forward by his wife of over 20 years, Sarah Michelle Gellar. They are literally #CoupleGoals.
Mara Wilson: Child Star Turned Tweeter
For any ’90s kid, Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire were two of the most iconic kid’s films of the decade. Mara Wilson starred in both and could have gone on to a great acting career, but she decided to leave it and focus on writing.
Wilson released her book, “Where Am I Now? True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame” in 2016. In her spare time, she spends the day writing hilarious tweets.
