House of Cards star Robin Wright has fled the U.S., slamming it as a “s--tshow,” the latest star in a steady flow of high-profile names moving to Britain and Ireland to escape American politics.
The 59-year-old has been primarily based in the U.K., renting a series of Airbnbs around the Chilterns, a coveted area of picturesque hills to the northwest of London, loved by showbiz icons like Ricky Gervais and the late Ozzy Osbourne.
In a new interview with The Times, the Forest Gump star, who won a Golden Globe for her work in House of Cards, said she was happy to be safely across the pond because “America is a s--tshow.”
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She explained, “I love being in this country. There’s a freedom of self here. People are so kind. They’re living. They’re not in the car in traffic, panicked on a phone call, eating a sandwich. That’s most of America. Everything’s rush, competition, and speed.”
Wright, who has been spending weekends in rented homes in the affluent region with her stepsister, told the Times that she enjoys escaping life in L.A., where she owns a house, and has—after three divorces—found her “person,” British architect Henry Smith, whom she met in a British pub.
The Hollywood star joins a growing list of high-profile names fleeing the U.S. amid turbulent times. Chief among them is Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi, who moved to the U.K. in November 2024 in the immediate aftermath of Donald Trump’s election victory.
The veteran TV host and comedian reportedly decided to stay out of the U.S. the day after the election results came in. In July, she told a crowd in the similarly idyllic and aspirational town of Cheltenham that the U.K. “is just better,” and that the U.S. can be “scary for people to be who they are,” per the BBC.
The Ellen Show host and voice of Finding Nemo’s Dory said she and de Rossi plan to stay in the U.K., having bought a house in the Cotswolds. Wright is in the Chilterns. Both are recognized rural beauty spots.
“We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, ‘He got in.’” DeGeneres, 67, told the BBC. “And we’re like, ‘We’re staying here.’”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment on the flow of celebrities leaving the country for political reasons. Steven Cheung replied with a waving hand emoji.
Other high-profile names include comedian and talk show host Rosie O’Donnell, who has moved to Ireland and is reportedly in the process of obtaining citizenship.
In March, the mother of five told her fans on TikTok, “It’s been heartbreaking to see what’s happening politically and hard for me personally, as well. The personal is political, as we all know.” She added, “When it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that’s when we will consider coming back.”
Meanwhile, Sophie Turner of Game of Thrones fame said she returned to her native U.K. after feeling homesick during her marriage to singer Joe Jonas.
“The gun violence, Roe v. Wade being overturned... Everything just kind of piled on,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “After the Uvalde shooting, I knew it was time to get the f--k out of there.”
Singer Courtney Love is applying for U.K. citizenship, having relocated to the U.K. permanently.
