Mark Wahlberg55, said he put his children first and left Los Angeles, even though he still misses it.
In Monday’s episode of Podcast ‘The Shop’Wahlberg said he doesn’t think living in Hollywood is necessary for success in the entertainment industry.
“I think nowadays you can record yourself and audition anywhere. You can be anywhere,” Wahlberg said.
In addition, movies are increasingly being filmed abroad, in places like Australia and Britain, or “where the tax breaks are more competitive,” he said.
Still, Wahlberg, who moved to Las Vegas in 2022, says he misses Los Angeles, especially the weather, the variety of restaurants and his friends.
“But my kids were exposed to a lot and got into trouble. The best thing was to say, ‘Okay, let’s put them first. I don’t need to be here. I can always come back,'” he said.
Wahlberg added that returning to Los Angeles regularly is “the goal.” “Daylight saving time in California, man, there’s nothing better,” he said.
Wahlberg, who shares four children with wife Rhea Durham, said in 2022 moving to Las Vegas would allow his children to better pursue their hobbies, such as golf, horseback riding and basketball.
In 2025, Wahlberg also purchased a sprawling seven-bedroom mansion on Billionaires Row Delray Beach, Florida, for $37 million.
Wahlberg isn’t the only Hollywood celebrity who has spoken about leaving Los Angeles.
Since 2018 Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake have spent most of their time in Tennessee and Montana, away from Los Angeles, in an effort to give their children more privacy from the paparazzi.
In May 2025, Lindsay Lohan says that as a mother she has fewer worries in Dubai, where she has lived since 2014, than in New York and Los Angeles.
“It’s hard in LA. Even when I take my son to the park in LA, I get stressed. I think, ‘Are there cameras?'” Lohan said.
In October, George Clooney said his children have a “much better life” on a farm in France than in Los Angeles.
“I don’t want them walking around worrying about paparazzi. I don’t want them being compared to someone else’s famous kids,” Clooney said.
It’s not just celebrities who are leaving the Golden State. California experienced the largest net loss of residents to other states between July 1, 2024 and July 1, 2025, with an estimated 229,077 more people leaving than entering. Census estimates.
