Hollywood celebrities have been fleeing California in droves. Of course, so have businesses, retail stores, manufacturing, and other industries. High taxes, insane regulations, out-of-control crime, and poor governance have resulted in the Golden Coast losing record amounts of tax revenue and citizens.
The list of actors and musicians that have left Gavin Newsom’s crumbling state reads like an “A” list roll call. Joe Rogan, Chris Hemsworth, Elon Musk, Blake Shelton, Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, and Keith Urban are just a few of the bigger names to “peace out” and ditch California.
Many are moving to places like Texas, Tennessee, and Florida, but one of the biggest stars to check out took his family and headed for the Nevada desert. Mark Wahlberg packed up his wife and three kids in the fall of 2022 and has never looked back.
In fact, the “Father Stu” star says he and his family have never been happier. He had this to say: “Everybody’s adapted nicely. The kids are all out at school, and everybody’s happy. It’s really giving the kids a chance to thrive.”
Since moving to Las Vegas, Wahlberg is in his second house. He sold the house he initially moved into for a reported $16.6 million. Before that, he sold his Beverly Hills estate for $87.5 million in April of 2022. However, the “Ted” star sounds overjoyed with Nevada and the somewhat normal life he and his family are enjoying.
Wahlberg isn’t living in Las Vegas proper but rather several minutes off of the strip. He said: “It just has the best of both worlds. I know a lot of people, when they think Las Vegas, they think the Strip. But just about 15, 20 minutes away, there’s a whole lot of other amazing areas that are all about family and community.”
Being an actor second and a family man first, the Boston native maintained that the move was all about giving his children the opportunity to grow up out of the spotlight of Los Angeles. He continued: “My daughter’s an equestrian. My son’s a golfer. My oldest daughter, now she’s off to college. My son’s a junior. There’s lots of opportunity here as well for me. We’re trying to create a studio. We’re trying to build the shoe factory. We want to create lots of jobs here.”
While moving to Nevada was a way to escape the trappings of Hollywood, Wahlberg also wants to add value to his new home by investing in the area and the people, creating jobs with his clothing line, and starting a production studio, which he envisions as a miniature Hollywood.
In the end, however, it’s all about his family: “We’re always looking for new opportunities and new adventures. I hope to create of a lot of opportunity here. And I moved to California originally to make movies. I’ve made three movies in the last 15 years in LA. So, as you know, it’s been difficult. The kids are really happy, and it’s all about them.”
Mark Wahlberg is one of the good guys in Hollywood. He is also a family man and a devoted Catholic. It is good to see him escape crumbling California for greener pastures in the Nevada desert.
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