No Thanks: Celebs Who Walked Away From Fame

It isn’t always easy to find success in Hollywood but these celebrities did. However, for one reason or another they decided to walk away from it all and leave the fame behind.

Chris Tucker

There was no mistaking Chris Tucker’s high-pitched voice when he first starred in the sleeper cult classic films Friday and Dead Presidents, before snagging the lead role opposite Jackie Chan in the very lucrative Rush Hour movie franchise. Tucker started out as a comedian who wasn’t afraid to drop a few F-bombs, but after becoming a born-again Christian, he refused to star in any of the Friday sequels. And after cashing in with Rush Hour 3, Tucker disappeared from the entertainment business altogether. But a steep tax bill from Uncle Sam forced Tucker to return to stand-up comedy in 2011, and the following year he stepped back in front of the cameras by joining the cast of the award-winning film Silver Linings Playbook.

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Mase

After The Notorious B.I.G. died, Bad Boy Records looked like it would be in shambles, but Mase stepped up to the plate and seemingly put the label on his back. With Sean (then Puff Daddy) Combs, by his side, Mase became the new face of Bad Boy. But after the success of his Harlem World album, he decided to answer to a higher calling. Mase left the music game behind and became a pastor. He’s flirted with the idea of returning to music several times, and finally did after leaving his church for good. 

Lauryn Hill

Her solo debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill topped the charts and Hill walked away with an armful of Grammy awards. But Hill hated the business side of the music industry and capitalism even more, so she disappeared from the industry altogether. After years in seclusion raising a family, Hill reemerged and began touring again. But her comeback was interrupted by a prison stint for tax evasion. After serving her time, Hill once again returned to touring.

Bill Withers

Compared to the other singers from his generation, Bill Withers hasn’t had a very long career. He’s known for penning some of the biggest R&B songs in his era. Withers, whose hits include “Lean on Me” and “Just The Two Of Us,” was also accused of being a difficult artist to work with. Withers acted as his own manager for much of his career and he grew to despise the politics of the music business so much that he walked away from it all. These days Withers passes the time by collecting residuals from his very famous songs.

Dave Chappelle

Dave Chappelle will forever be remembered as the man who walked away from $50 million. Chappelle had just renewed his contract with Comedy Central after the first two seasons of Chappelle’s Show were so successful. But before the third season even had a chance to air, the lanky comedian quit. Rumors ran rampant that Chappelle had gone crazy and left it all behind to live in Africa. He took some time off to travel the world, but Chappelle returned to his home state of Ohio and focused on raising a family. Chappelle returned to the stand-up comedy circuit by making impromptu appearances at comedy venues, and doing his string of lauded shows at Radio City Music Hall last year.

Zayn Malik

One Direction has been the biggest musical export out of the UK since the Beatles. The five band members each appeard on The X Factor as solo artists but were assembled into a group by Simon Cowell and signed to his label. After four years of ruling the charts and touring the world, Zayn Malik was done with the spotlight. He dropped out of the group’s world tour, and a week later he was done with the band altogether. Wanting to enjoy life as a regular 25-year-old, Malik said it was the best decision he’s ever made.

Gene Wilder

After starring in hit comedies like Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and Another You with friend Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder retired from the movie-making business. Outside of appearing in a couple TV movies and an episode of Will & Grace, the comedian has stayed off-camera. 

Garth Brooks

Imagine you’re a world-famous singer. After more than 20 years in the business and more than 190 million albums sold worldwide, what would you do next? If you’re Garth Brooks, you retire. In 2001, Brooks announced he was done with it all and said he wouldn’t even think of returning to music until his youngest daughter turned 18. Four years later he came out of retirement to perform for several charity causes and has slowly worked his way back to being a full-time musician. In 2014, Brooks released his first studio album in 13 years.

Macaulay Culkin

Macaulay Culkin became a star at a very young age, and after years of working himself ragged, Culkin became upset with Hollywood and his parents. He filed for emancipation and virtually dropped off the face of the earth. Outside of appearances in a few independent films, Culkin has shied away from the cameras. Instead, he plays frontman for an indie rock comedy band, The Pizza Underground.

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Adele

Adele found success with her first album, 19. But it was smash hits like “Someone Like You” and “Rolling In The Deep” from her second album, 21, that really helped turn the British singer/songwriter into an international star. But after she became pregnant with her first child, Adele decided to put her career on pause and focus on motherhood. She lent her vocals to the soundtrack for Skyfall and promised that her hiatus from music would only last two years. However, it’s been four years since she released her last album.

Mayim Bialik

Mayim Bialik starred as an antsy teenager in the coming-of-age sitcom Blossom. The show helped her become a young star. But when it ended, so did Bialik’s Hollywood aspirations. Instead, she enrolled in UCLA and became a career student by becoming a math major and eventually achieving a Ph.D., writing a thesis on a DNA disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome. The former child star collected a lot of checks doing voiceover work and she finally returned to television where all of that studying came in handy: She currently plays neurobiologist Dr. Amy Fowler on The Big Bang Theory.

Kirk Cameron

Kirk Cameron’s easy smile, complete with dimples and all, made him an obvious teen idol to millions of adoring and screaming female fans when he was on Growing Pains. But several years into filming the show, Cameron realized he wasn’t interested in all of that. He found the Lord, became a born-again Christian and became unhappy with the direction of the storylines on the show. After the series ended, Cameron landed a new series but Kirk was canceled after two seasons. Cameron left mainstream entertainment and instead focused on Christian-themed productions.

Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin is one star who has certainly profited off of being a celebrity but has grown weary of what comes with it. Baldwin has been in numerous films, appeared on countless television shows and has starred on the Great White Way. But the former 30 Rock star has become infamous because of his fights with the paparazzi. After finding love again with his second wife, Helena, Baldwin decided to take a break form the public eye.

“I’ve lived this [public life] for 30 years. I’m done with it,” he said. “I loathe and despise the media in a way I did not think possible. I’m aware that it’s ironic that I’m making this case in the media but this is the last time I’m going to talk about my personal life in an American publication ever again.”