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    Big Bang Theory’s Johnny Galecki Returns to Acting After 7-Year Hiatus

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    Watch: ‘Big Bang Theory’s Johnny Galecki Shares Rare Glimpse of His Wife and Kids at Disney World

    Johnny Galecki is returning to the spotlight.

    The Bing Bang Theory alum is ending a seven-year hiatus from acting—though it may feel like 14 billion years ago since fans last saw him on TV—to portray famed playwright Tennessee Williams in the upcoming Chicago stage production of Kowalski.

    The 51-year-old shared his excitement over the bazinga-worthy news on social media while also acknowledging gratitude for his extended break from the stage and screen.

    “For the last seven years, I’ve been fortunate enough to spend more time living than performing,” Galecki—dad to daughter Oona with wife Morgan Galecki in addition to son Avery, who he shares with ex Alaina Meyer—wrote on Instagram July 7. “It turns out those aren’t separate pursuits for me. Honored to return to the stage and in my city by the lake (where the embers never fade and) where I first began working, as one of my literary heroes, Tennessee Williams in KOWALSKI this Fall.”

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    The Big Bang Theory Cast: Then and Now

    “The planets aligned,” the Emmy nominee told Variety in a statement. “Gregg’s writing, Colin’s vision, and the feeling that after seven years of quietly observing life, I finally had something new to bring back to the work. Add to that the privilege of portraying one of my artistic heroes, and it became impossible to say no.”

    And though Galecki is notoriously private when it comes to his personal life, he previously shared a rare glimpse inside what his hiatus looked, posting highlights from a family bonding trip to Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. with Morgan and his two kids.

    “More unforgettable memories made,” Galecki captioned a carousel of Instagram photos posted Oct. 29. “Such a perfect age for the Shorties. (And by ‘Shorties,’ I mean the Wife and I.)”

    He added, “Thank you to all who made it so wonderful. And a special thank you to our new, profoundly talented friends.”

    Kowalski runs Sept. 19 through Oct. 25. Tickets go on sale July 15.

    In the meantime, keep reading to see more stars who left Hollywood for their own extended breaks from acting.

    Jean Baptiste Lacroix/Getty Images

    “The planets aligned,” the Emmy nominee told Variety in a statement. “Gregg’s writing, Colin’s vision, and the feeling that after seven years of quietly observing life, I finally had something new to bring back to the work. Add to that the privilege of portraying one of my artistic heroes, and it became impossible to say no.”

    And though Galecki is notoriously private when it comes to his personal life, he previously shared a rare glimpse inside what his hiatus looked, posting highlights from a family bonding trip to Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. with Morgan and his two kids.

    “More unforgettable memories made,” Galecki captioned a carousel of Instagram photos posted Oct. 29. “Such a perfect age for the Shorties. (And by ‘Shorties,’ I mean the Wife and I.)”

    He added, “Thank you to all who made it so wonderful. And a special thank you to our new, profoundly talented friends.”

    Kowalski runs Sept. 19 through Oct. 25. Tickets go on sale July 15.

    In the meantime, keep reading to see more stars who left Hollywood for their own extended breaks from acting.

    Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

    Antonio BanderasAfter the Mask of Zorro actor suffered a near-fatal heart attack in 2019, he moved back to his native Málago, Spain, to focus on his love of theater.“It changed the way I look at life,” Antonio told The Times in March 2026. “Faced with death, it made me look back and realise that I am, in fact, a theater actor.”Now, the Tony nominee—who still occasionally takes on TV and film projects—owns a theater venue and gets involved with the local community.“I have never been so happy,” he continued. “It keeps me in touch with my roots, my neighbourhood, my people. I haven’t lost that connection over the years. Quite the opposite.”

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    Elisha CuthbertBefore landing a role in Prime Video’s Every Year After, The Girl Next Door actress took a four-year break from acting, leaving L.A. to raise her two kids with husband Dion Phaneuf.”I realized I worked all four years through our first child and it was really hard,” Cuthbert confessed in June 2026 during an appearance on Today, “to separate that mom from the working person I was. So, when we had our second, I just felt like I didn’t want to waste any second of it and I didn’t want to be on set.”The 43-year-old—best known for starring in ’00s films like Old School as well as hit TV shows including 24 and Happy Endings—added, “I just felt like I needed to be at home with the kids and I enjoyed every minute.”

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    Ellen DeGeneresThe Ellen DeGeneres Show host’s eponymous talk show ended in 2022 after a 19-season run amid allegations of a toxic work environment that prompted an internal investigation, multiple firings of executives and public ire.Ellen returned to the spotlight for her final standup special For Your Approval, which released on Netflix in September 2024. During the lead-up to that special, she revealed she would be leaving Hollywood altogether.”This is the last time you’re going to see me,” she told a crowd during her Ellen’s Last Stand…Up tour, per SFGate. “After my Netflix special, I’m done.”
    Ellen and her wife Portia de Rossi have since moved to the Cotswolds, deciding to stay put in November 2024 after Donald Trump‘s reelection, the talk show host told to Richard Bacon in a July 2025 conversation at the Everyman theater in Cheltenham.”It’s absolutely beautiful,” she gushed about the English countryside, per the BBC. “We’re just not used to seeing this kind of beauty. The villages and the towns and the architecture—everything you see is charming and it’s just a simpler way of life.”It’s clean,” Ellen continued. “Everything here is just better—the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here. We moved here in November, which was not the ideal time, but I saw snow for the first time in my life. We love it here. Portia flew her horses here, and I have chickens, and we had sheep for about two weeks.”

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    Tyra BanksOne of the reasons the America’s Next Top Model host moved to Australia? To stay on top of her ice cream brand.”So I have this ice cream company, SMiZE and Dream,” Tyra explained on an April 2025 episode of Today with Jenna & Friends. “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.”Not only was she happy there, but she also knew it was a good market for her business.”The three countries that eat the most ice cream?” she continued. “America, New Zealand and Australia.”So, the supermodel moved to Australia with her son York (his dad is her ex Erik Asla) and boyfriend Louis Bélanger-Martin, noting, “Australia has been a dream come true for me and my family.”

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    Eva LongoriaWhile it’s been a minute since the Desperate Housewives star lived on Wisteria Lane, she’s since found a new address IRL.”I had my whole adult life here,” Eva told Marie Claire in November 2024 about leaving Los Angeles. “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.”So for the past few years, the actress, her husband José Bastón and their son Santiago have split their time between Mexico and Spain.“I’m privileged,” she continued. “I get to escape and go somewhere. Most Americans aren’t so lucky. They’re going to be stuck in this dystopian country, and my anxiety and sadness is for them.”However, Eva noted her move wasn’t because of President Trump’s re-election.”I didn’t leave because of the political environment,” the Flamin’ Hot director said on The View: Behind the Table podcast in November 2024. “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.”Since moving, Eva has continued to stay busy, with recent projects including her roles in Only Murders in the Building and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip.

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    Richard GereThe actor has gone from Chicago to Spain.”My wife is Spanish, and she gave me about seven years here,” Richard said of Galicia native Alejandra Silva on a November 2024 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “And so we’re going to spend some years in Madrid.”He also expressed his excitement over what the move would give the couple’s young sons Alexander and James.”Our kids are bilingual,” Richard, who also has an adult son Homer with ex Carey Lowell, added, “so they’re going to flourish there.”Indeed, it seems the whole family has.”The truth is that you are seeing us in our momentum,” The Agency: Central Intelligence star told Elle España in January 2025. “We are happier than ever.”

    Chris Haston/WBTV via Getty Images

    Christina MilianFrom AM to PM, the singer is living in Paris “My husband is French, and we’ve been together for over seven or eight years,” Christina, who is married to singer Matt Pokora, said on a November 2024 episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show. “And for the last three or four years we were commuting back and forth every six months.”However, they decided to officially say au revoir to the U.S. so her kids—who include daughter Violet from her former marriage with The-Dream and sons Isaiah and Kenna from her union with Matt—could study in France.”They’re all going to school in Paris,” she continued. “I was like, ‘What better than an opportunity than that?”And life for the family appears to be magnifique.”My kids are happy there,” the Dexter: Original Sin actress told E! in December 2024. “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.”

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    Lindsay LohanLindsay is tired of rumors starting about why she left Los Angeles.So, she set the record straight while looking back at her hectic work schedule and partying in the aughts. “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,” The Parent Trap alum told Bustle in March 2024. “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 moved abroad—first to London then to Dubai (also opening beach clubs in Greece). However, there was another reason she sought a life away from the spotlight.”I was like, ‘What if I never fall in love? What if this never happens?'” the Mean Girls star added. “And 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.”Of course, Lindsay did find love with Bader Shammas, the pair marrying in 2022 and welcoming son Luai the following year. They still live in Dubai, but the Freaky Friday actress hasn’t left the Hollywood industry completely, starring in movies like Our Little Secret, Irish Wish and Freakier Friday.

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    Josh HartnettFor Josh, the decision to leave Hollywood came after some self-reflection.”Hollywood is more than a place; it’s like a state of mind,” the Black Mirror actor told People in July 2024. “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.”Instead, he wanted more.”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 added. “To me, that’s the spice of life.”So, the Black Hawk Down alum, his wife Tamsin Egerton and their four kids moved to England’s Hampshire countryside.”Time passes quickly,” he told The Guardian in July 2024. “With four children, you have so much to do. In a way, less is happening. But more of the important stuff is happening.”Still, Josh has stayed plenty busy and landed roles in Verity, Fight or Flight and Trap.

    Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for National Board of Review

    Jesse EisenbergIf you haven’t checked your social network lately, then you might not know that Jesse doesn’t live in L.A.“I’ve lived in Indiana for the last decade on-and-off,” the A Real Pain star toldCBS News Sunday Morningin February 2025. “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.”And while he’s an Oscar nominee, he lives a pretty normal life with his wife Anna Strout and son Banner.”I’m not on social media, and I’m not a person who’s on the phone with industry people all the time,” Jesse also shared. “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.”

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    Eliza Dushku PalandjianAfter appearing in such projects as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and 2000’s Bring It On, Eliza revealed in September 2024 that she had become certified in psychedelic-assisted therapy and is furthering her studies as a mental health professional.”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,” she told Boston Magazine. “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.”

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    Rosie O’DonnellThe Flintstones star revealed that she moved to Ireland in January 2025 with her youngest child Clay and was in the process of getting her Irish citizenship as her grandparents are from the European country. But while Rosie cited recent political developments as her reason for leaving, she didn’t rule out an eventual return home.”I miss my other kids,” she said in a video on TikTok. “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.”

    Jon Kopaloff/WireImage

    Evangeline LillyThe Ant-Man and the Wasp star announced she’s taking an indefinite hiatus from acting after 20 years in the industry.”I am so filled with joy and contentment today as I live out my vision,” Evangeline wrote on Instagram in June 2024. “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.”But she isn’t necessarily shutting the door, either, adding, “I might return to Hollywood one day, but, for now, this is where I belong.”

    Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Common Ground

    Ian SomerhalderThe Vampire Diaries alum hasn’t sunk his teeth into a new role since Netflix’s 2019 series V-Wars. Instead, he has dug a little deeper into a passion project, namely his mission to combat climate change by improving the world’s soil.”I stepped away from acting a little over four years ago to raise my kids, build my companies and get these films launched,” Ian, who shares two children with wife Nikki Reed, told E! News in November 2023 of launching the 2020 documentary Kiss the Ground and its follow up Common Ground, each detailing the need for regenerative farming.When he looks years down the road, the actor continued, “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.”

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    Jennette McCurdyOn a February 2021 episode of her podcast Empty Inside, the iCarly alum told guest Anna Faris that she decided to stop acting a few years back and is now focused on opportunities in writing and directing, in addition to hosting the podcast.”My experience with acting is, I’m so ashamed of the parts I’ve done in the past,” revealed Jennette, who detailed her experience in her 2022 memoir . “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.”Though she hasn’t totally written off a second act. “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,” she told E! News in October 2022. “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.”

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    Meghan MarkleThis felt like something of a no-brainer. If we had a shot to marry Prince Harry, dedicate our life to the philanthropic causes that matter most to us and gain access to the Queen’s impressive collection of tiaras, bidding ta-ta to Tinseltown would feel like an okay sacrifice.Following the path Grace Kelly took from Hollywood to the Palace of Monaco, Meghan left behind her home in Toronto—and her breakout role on Suits—for a life in The Firm. Though, now that she and Harry have shed their senior roles and live in Montecito, Calif., she’s edging back into the business thanks to business moves like their multi-year production deal with Netflix. The Duchess of Sussex released her 2022 docuseries Harry & Meghan as well as her 2025 lifestyle show With Love, Meghan on the streaming service. She’s also launched podcasts and her brand As Ever.  

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    Cameron DiazHaving made upwards of 40 movies since her debut in 1994’s The Mask, the actress was long overdue for a break when filming wrapped on 2014’s Annie.”I just decided that I wanted different things out of my life,” she explained to pal Gwyneth Paltrow of her ultimate act of self-care. “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.”And there was plenty more she’d like to explore, from writing (she followed up her 2013 New York Times best-seller The Body Book with 2016’s The Longevity Book) to starting a family with husband Benji Madden. But while Cameron confessed to InStyle in 2019, “I don’t miss performing. Right now I’m looking at the landscape of wellness and all that,” apparently she could be swayed into making at least one encore.”We just begged and pleased on my knees, like, ‘Just give the people one more again,'” Jamie Foxx told E! News of getting Cameron to sign on for the 2025 Netflix film Back in Action. “We love her, we’ve been waiting on her and this is just gonna be fantastic.”

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    Terrence HowardThe actor insisted there’d be no encore after he finished his five-year run on Empire. When Extra asked Terrence about his future ahead of the musical drama series’ sixth and final season in 2019, he responded, “Oh, I’m done with acting. I’m done pretending.”And though he returned to set for a handful of projects, the Oscar nominee again announced his plans to quit acting while promoting his Peacock series The Best Man: The Final Chapters in 2022. “I’ve gotten to the point where now I’ve given the very best that I have as an actor,” he told ET. “Now I’m enjoying watching other new talent come around, and I don’t want to do an impersonation of myself.”Despite these comments, though, Howard has since appeared in a few more shows and movies, including the TV series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist and Netflix film Shirley, with multiple projects lined up in the future.

    Andrew H. Walker/Variety/REX/Shutterstock

    Jack GleesonOnce his time as King Joffrey came to a sudden, purple-faced end in 2014, the then-21-year-old told EW he was getting out of the game. “I’ve been acting since age 8,” the Game of Thrones star explained of his decision. “I just stopped enjoying it as much as I used to.”No longer a child star, a bit of the magic had worn off. “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 continued. “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.”But after a six-year break, he was ready to resume his reign, joining the cast of BBC’s series Out of Her Mind in 2020. Since then, Jack has also appeared in movies like Rebecca’s Boyfriend and In the Land of Saints and Sinners as well as TV shows like Safe Harbor and The Famous Five.
     

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    Phoebe CatesWhen Fast Times at Ridgemont High‘s dream girl (Jennifer Aniston took on her part in September 2020’s virtual table read) wed fellow actor Kevin Kline in 1989, they “agreed to alternate so that we’re never working at the same time,” he told Playboy of their plan to care for son Owen and daughter Greta (a singer who now goes by the stage name Frankie Cosmos).However, he continued, “whenever it’s been her slot to work, Phoebe has chosen to stay with the children.” Though she made a cameo in pal Jennifer Jason Leigh‘s 2001 indie The Anniversary Party, Cates devotes most of her time to operating her New York City boutique Blue Tree. 

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    Rick MoranisAt the height of his Ghostbusters and Honey, I… fame, the ’80s star stepped away from filmmaking not long after his wife passed away from breast cancer in 1991 to focus on raising his kids Rachel and Mitchell. Though Rick hasn’t had a live-action movie role since 1997, even passing on a cameo in Paul Feig‘s 2016 Ghostbusters remake, he’s remained a treasured cultural icon, as evidenced by the outrage over reports that he’d been assaulted while walking in New York City in 2020.Thankfully there’s good news for fans: He’ll make  alongside in the forthcoming Disney reboot .

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    Leelee SobieskiOnce she wed fashion designer Adam Kimmel in 2010, the Never Been Kissed standout hinted that she was maybe kinda done with movies. “Ninety percent of acting roles involve so much sexual stuff with other people, and I don’t want to do that,” she explained to Vogue. “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.”Her decision was solidified after son Martin joined older sister Louisanna in 2014. “I don’t do movie stuff anymore. I am totally an outsider! I … am just a mom and an outsider,” she noted to Us Weekly at a 2016 event, explaining that she helps Kimmel with his business and paints on the side. “I am just focused on my kids. I think that’s mainly why I stopped.” 

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    Portia de RossiShe’d done Ally McBeal. And Nip/Tuck. Then Arrested Development and finally Scandal when the Aussie realized that maybe she was ready to turn the dial. “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,” she explained on wife Ellen DeGeneres‘ eponymous talk show in 2018. “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.”Her consumer-art company, General Public, already a work in progress, she had just one piece to finish. “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.”

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    Daniel Day-LewisTo be fair, once you’ve won three Academy Awards, what’s left to accomplish? Shortly after receiving his sixth Oscar nod for his final film, 2017’s Phantom Thread, the thespian had his rep issue a statement informing fans that 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.”But just when Daniel thought he was out, his son pulled him back in. In October 2024, production company Focus Features announced the Oscar winner would star in Anemone, the film he wrote alongside son Ronan Day-Lewis (who will also direct).

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    Bridgit MendlerThe Good Luck Charlie alum took a step back from the spotlight in 2018 when she began pursuing a master’s degree from MIT, later earning a PhD from the institution. She also enrolled in Harvard Law School.And as if that weren’t enough, Bridgit launched her own startup Northwood Space, which aims to build ground satellite stations to help send and receive data from space, becoming CEO of the brand in February 2023. 

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