These Celebs Exchanged Their Fab Lifestyles For Normal Lives
Regular people like us normally dream of making it big someday; however, we should be careful about what we wish for! The reality is that there are celebrities who want to go back to their normal lives and normal jobs after living under the spotlight. The schedule, media, and pressure of the job must have gotten to them. All things considered, it is pretty understandable. Continue reading to see which stars decided it was time to head back to normalcy!
Kirk Cameron
Kirk Cameron first made a name for himself when he appeared on Growing Pains. He delivered a spectacular performance on the show, even earning two Golden Globe nominations for it. Once the show wrapped up, he wanted to devote his time to his faith. He is currently active in the evangelical church and he even hosts a TV program about it!
Kirk Cameron
Mara Wilson
We all know how talented Mara Wilson when it comes to acting. As a young girl, she impressed everyone in films like Mrs. Doubtfire, Matilda, and A Simple Wish. While she enjoyed the time she spent in the industry, she knew she did not want to continue acting. Instead, she chose to be a writer and philanthropist. In 2016, she even published a book that detailed her experiences as a child actress! At the present, she works for Publicolor, a non-profit that offers disadvantaged teens the opportunity to access the arts.
Mara Wilson
Danica McKellar
Do you remember the lovely Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years? She was played by none other than Danica McKellar! Apparently, the actress was academically gifted and graduated summa cum laude from UCLA. You might be surprised to hear that math is her passion and she has actually written a number of math books. Aside from this, she also runs Math Bites, her very own math show. How amazing is that?
Danica McKellar
Frankie Muniz
Frankie Muniz made a name for himself on the famous sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. His acting chops received a lot of praise from both fans and critics. He even went on to be nominated for an Emmy and two Golden Globes for his performance! However, he decided to go into race car driving instead of acting later on. He continues to drive and he has even won a number of awards!
Frankie Muniz
Andrea Barber
Remember Kimmy from Full House? She was played by Andrea Barber, who continues to act and even appeared in the Netflix reboot of the show. She did not forget about the value of education, however. She went to Whittier College in California and earned a degree in English before taking further studies at the University of York. For a while, she also served as the director of the international studies program at Whittier!
Andrea Barber
Danielle Fishel
Up next, we have another one of our beloved childhood crushes. Danielle Fishel portrayed Topanga in the TV show Boy Meets World. When the show was cancelled, Danielle tried out something different. She started reporting for Popsugar and The Dish. She has recently started doing TV work again and you can watch her on Girl Meets World.
Daniel Fishel
Freddie Prinze Jr.
We all know how much of a stud the young Freddie Prinze Jr. was! He appeared in plenty of teenage flicks like I Know What You Did Last Summer and Cruel Intentions. He later married costar Sarah Michelle Gellar and they found a new passion in cooking. In fact, he decided to pursue culinary full-time and wrote a cookbook featuring more than 70 original recipes!
Freddie Prinze Jr.
Tony Danza
Did you know that Tony Danza was a prominent professional boxer before he started acting? It’s true! Best known for appearing in Who’s The Boss, he went on to become an education activist after the TV show concluded. Among other things, he created and starred in Teach: Tony Danza, a reality program that followed the journey of an English class in a Philadelphia high school. The goal of the show was to reveal the state of education in America and it made a convincing argument that teachers deserve more respect.
Tony Danza
Lucy Liu
If you don’t know who Lucy Liu is, you must be living under a rock! She first made it big when she appeared in Ally McBeal. She even received a Primetime Emmy nomination for it! She is also a huge fan of visual arts. The actress makes her own pieces and donates some of it to charity.
Lucy Liu
Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey is yet another popular star on our list. You have probably seen The Mask and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective at least once in your life. He is still active in the entertainment industry but he recently went on hiatus to pursue painting. He even had a show at a gallery in Las Vegas!
Jim Carrey
Steven Seagal
Here’s something interesting about Steven Seagal: he was the first foreigner to run an aikido dojo in Japan! How cool is that? He later moved to Los Angeles, California and worked as a martial art instructor there. This all happened before the beginning of his acting career. In 1988, he made his onscreen debut in Above the Law and it marked the beginning of a successful career. When he quit acting, it was a no-brainer that he ended up joining the law enforcement. His skills must have helped a lot when he became a reserve deputy sheriff in Louisiana.
Steven Seagal
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Gellar was the face of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. Aside from the hit show, she also starred in other teen flicks like Cruel Intentions where she appeared opposite her husband. As we have mentioned earlier, she and Freddie Prinze Jr. both fell in love with cooking. She co-founded Foodstirs, a startup that makes kiddie baking kits!
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Vanilla Ice
“Ice, Ice, Baby” has cemented itself as one of the most popular songs in recent history! Vanilla Ice is the person responsible for this song. During the early 2000s, he starred in several reality shows. However, he is currently busy with real estate. You can learn more about it in The Vanilla Ice Project, his own show about home renovations!
Vanilla Ice
Peter Ostrum
Best known for playing Charlie in the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Peter Ostrum revealed that his heart was never really into acting. Apparently, he has always loved animals and decided to focus on them instead! He studied veterinary medicine at Cornell University and he is currently a practicing veterinarian. His clientele is mostly made up of cattle and horses.
Peter Ostrum
Gary Dourdan
Did you know that Gary Dourdan spent 8 years on CSI? Sadly, his character had been killed at the start of the 9th season. Nowadays, he works as a DJ and collects classic cars!
Gary Dourdan
Helen Hunt
Helen Hunt began her career as a 10-year-old girl, though her acting resume did not end there. Considering her talent, it is no surprise she enjoyed such a lengthy and successful career. She even won an Academy Award during her time in the industry. However, it seems that she likes working behind the scenes as a producer even better. She runs Hunt/Travel Productions, a production company.
Helen Hunt
Nick Offerman
Parks and Recreation was a great sitcom with memorable characters, though we have to say Ron Swanson was our favorite. He was brought to life by the fantastic Nick Offerman. Apparently, he also works as a carpenter. It seems fitting that he creates boats and the life!
Nick Offerman
Barbi Benton
Barbi Benton is most recognized as a Playboy model. After all, she has graced the cover of the magazine 4 times overall! She began modeling at the age of 16. Aside from that, she is also a singer and an actress. In fact, she has recorded five albums already. She has mostly retired from show business as she wanted to focus on raising her kids. These days, she is in the real estate business in California.
Barbi Benton
Sharona Alperin
“My Sharona” is yet another classic song we have to mention on her list! The song was composed for Sharona Alperin by Doug Fieger, her ex-boyfriend. Apparently, the couple had been together for four years before they called it quits. Sharona now works as a realtor in L.A.
Sharona Alperin
Cote de Pablo
The beautiful Cote de Pablo is a Chilean-American singer and actress. She is probably best known for playing the character called Ziva David on the hit show NCIS. Apparently, she got injured a couple times on set. Her last acting credit was for a 2016 television movie and she now lives a low-key life in Los Angeles.
Cote De Pablo
Elizabeth Berkley
Do you remember Jessie Spano from Saved by the Bell? She was portrayed by none other than Elizabeth Berkley who has also appeared in other projects on the stage and the big screen. Her resume includes the film Showgirls from 1995. She now works as a writer and penned the self-help book Ask Elizabeth.
Elizabeth Berkley
Al Franken
There is no denying the fact that Al Franken was hilarious when he was on SNL. He has always been interested in politics so he decided to run for senator. He won a seat in Minnesota in 2009 and then again in 2014. Who would’ve thought?
Al Franken
Liam Gallagher
Now, who has not heard of the band Oasis? Liam Gallagher, of course, is the singer-songwriter behind the 90’s band. He later launched his clothing line named Pretty Green and it has been quite the success!
Liam Gallagher
Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Barr made a name for herself when she starred in Roseanne. These days, however, she is far more focused on a political career. She ran during the presidential race of 2012 under the Peace and Freedom Party. In 2016, she expressed support for Donald Trump. She has also appeared in various programs to discuss her political opinion.
Roseanne Barr
Jon Gosselin
Jon appeared in the TLC reality show Jon and Kate Plus 8. In 2009, he and Kate got a divorce. He has been working several jobs from then on! At the moment, he is pursuing music, his true passion. He works as a DJ in his hometown, Atlantic City.
Jon Gosselin
Chris Owen
Remember “The Sherminator” from the American Pie movies? Apparently, Chris Owens was the only actor who appeared in all the films and its spinoffs. These days, however, he works as a waiter in a fancy sushi restaurant in Los Angeles.
Chris Owen
Lark Voorhies
Lark Voorhies was the actress who played Lisa Turtle from Saved by the Bell. After the memorable role, she took on minor acting jobs, though she eventually pursued writing. She has now published 3 books!
Lark Vorhies
Ariana Richards
Ariana Richards was a child star who was mostly active back in the 80’s. She is perhaps most recognized for playing Lex Murphy in the sci-fi flick Jurassic Park. She later moved into the arts and even attended Skidmore College and Art Center College of Design. Oh, let us not forget that her work ranked first during the National Professional Oil Painting Competition! These days, she is busy as a professional painter based in Oregon.
Ariana Richards
Tommy Rettig
Tommy made a name for himself when he appeared on Lassie. After the show, he pursued his real passion: computers! He came back to school, took up software engineering, and died doing what he loved in 1996.
Tommy Rettig
Mackenzie Rosman
We doubt we will ever forget about Ruthie Camden from 7th Heaven. She was pretty young when she first played the character. After the show, she decided to go into a completely different field. She became a huge philanthropist with the aim of helping kids suffering from cystic fibrosis.
Mackenzie Rosman
Jonathan Bennett
We bet you remember Jonathan Bennett AKA Aaron Samuels from the hit film, Mean Girls. After being cast in the role, he landed roles in projects like Cheaper by the Dozen 2. He has also worked as the host of Cake Wars, the show from Food Network. Aside from this, he is also a spinning instructor at a Los Angeles gym!
Jonathon Bennett
Maia Brewton
Maia Brewton made a name for herself when she appeared in the 1987 movie called Adventures in Babysitting. However, she realized she was not passionate about acting. She is now a practicing lawyer.
Maia Brewton
Leanna Creel
Leanna Creel is best known for playing Tori on Saved by the Bell. Did you know the actress is a triplet? In 1994, she started doing work behind the camera. In 1998, she launched Ignite Entertainment, her very own production company. She has been in a happy marriage with Rinat Greenberg for a decade now!
Leanne Creel
Brittany Ashton Holmes
Brittany Ashton Holmes became a star when she appeared in The Little Rascals in the role of Darla. She had a fairly short acting career as she realized she did not want to do this forever. Nowadays, she is working as a barista and taking up political science in school.
Brittany Ashton Holmes
Josh Saviano
Josh Saviano has retired from the acting industry and he doesn’t plan on going back! He became a big star when he appeared on The Wonder Years as a young man. However, acting was not a passion and he wanted to do something else with his life. He later went to Yale and finished a political science degree before attending law school in Cardozo. He worked for Morrison Cohen LLP for a while but he now owns his very own consulting company.
Josh Saviano
Jeff Cohen
Jeff Cohen brought Chunk to life in The Goonies. After starring in the film, he took it upon himself to shape up and joined the football team in high school. He later went to Berkeley for his bachelor’s degree and attended UCLA law school. He is a practicing attorney at the present.
Jeff Cohen
Taran Noah Smith
Taran Noah Smith is perhaps better known as Marcus “Mark” Jason Taylor from Home Improvement. However, it does not seem like he has any interest in acting! In 2001, he married Heidi van Pelt and turned into a vegan like her. Together, they even launched Playfood, a vegan cheese product line. Sadly, they got divorced a couple years later.
Taran Smith
George Foreman
George Foreman was a highly successful boxer. After his retirement, he began promoting a product called the George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine. It has currently sold more than 100 million units! We bet he no longer has to work a day in his life as he has earned more than $200 million from it.
George Foreman
Charlie Korsmo
Charlie Korsmo made a name for himself when he appeared in Can’t Hardly Wait and Hook. After he retired from the industry, he went to MIT for undergrad and then Yale for law school. He practiced law and spent some time in the government, though he is now a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
Charlie Korsmo