Celebrities who announced their retirement (but never really left)

Some did it on a whim, others to focus on another aspect of their lives… but the truth is that many celebrities who announced their retirement came back and continued with their careers. Do you remember who they were?

In December 2013, Justin Bieber announced to his followers via Twitter that he was leaving: "My dear followers. I'm officially retired." However, the artist has continued his career in the music industry and released some major hits after that.

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Since her performance in 'Matilda' (1996), Mara Wilson became an internationally famous actress. The success was such that, at just 13 years old, Wilson announced her retirement. However, she has continued to be linked to the acting world. Some may not know this but the actress has voiced some characters in series like 'BoJack Horseman' and 'Big Hero 6: The Series'.

Another child star who announced an early retirement was Macaulay Culkin. The actor did it in 1994 and said he didn't want to become a teen icon… But it was too late for that. In 2016, the actor retired for the second time to focus on other creative ventures like painting and writing, but the truth is, he kept acting. The last time we have been able to see the actor perform was in 2021 in 'American Horror Story'.

The actor became famous thanks to his role as Joffrey Baratheon in the successful 'Game of Thrones'. After the show, in 2014, Jack Gleeson decided to officially retire from acting. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor said: "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."

The actor focused on theater and his studies in theology and philosophy, but in 2020 we could see him acting again in 'Two Out of Her Mind' and in the Irish movie by director Craig Austin Reynolds 'Rebecca's Boyfriend'. In 2023, Gleeson starred in the movie 'In the Land of Saints and Sinners', along with Liam Neeson.

There have been so many times when Britney Spears' retirement has been announced that we don't keep count, but there's always a first time, and for the singer, it was in 2004. At the time, she and Justin Timberlake had called it quits and people started booing her during her concerts in Mexico and England. As her manager expressed, the artist needed to stop for some months and go back to her Louisiana home where her mother would be taking care of her.

In 2011, Brad Pitt stated on the Australian show '60 Minutes' that he planned on quitting acting in three years. As you may have noticed the actor is pretty much still acting, and although he has slowed down and has focused more on his work behind the cameras as a producer, Pitt is still working each year on major productions as an actor.

In 1999, Barbra Streisand said her 'Timeless' tour would be her last. But the singer had a change of heart and in 2006, the artist toured the United States thanks to her successful tour 'Streisand', which reported the actress 92 million dollars.

In 2003, the rapper Jay-Z had won it all, was sick of the music industry, and decided to retire. The star even made a documentary about it, 'Fade to Black', and performed one last time in Madison Square Garden. However, Jay-Z never said goodbye and continues to triumph and release music.

In 2007, Kevin Spacey declared on the ITV show 'London Tonight' that it was the end of the road for him: "I don't care about my career as an actor anymore. It's over for me." But he did no such thing. After that interview, he did some of his best works in shows like 'House of Cards'. It was in 2017 when the actor forcefully had to retire due to sexual abuse accusations.

Michael J. Fox announced his retirement from cinema and television in May 2000 due to the illness he was suffering, Parkinson's. The actor did disappear for quite a long time, but he has returned to the business doing some TV projects and as a voice actor.

The famous racer Michael Schumacher retired on two occasions: first in 2006, after winning the Chinese Grand Prix; the second time (and the definitive one) was in 2012, after going back to Formula 1 thanks to Mercedes in 2010.

In November 2009, the Italian artist Laura Pausini said goodbye to the audience in the tenth edition of the Latin Grammys. The singer said that she wanted to focus on her private life and on trying to become a mother. In 2011, the artist released one of the most important albums of her career, 'Inédito'.

Ed Sheeran was another singer who wanted to step back from performing. In 2019, he wrote on his social media: "I've been a bit nonstop since 2017 so I'm just gonna take a breather to travel, write and read. I'll be off all social media until it's time to come back". However, in 2021, the artist returned with his album '='.

Nicky Minaj's retirement shook all her fans. In September 2019, the singer wrote on Twitter: "I've decided to retire & have my family. I know you guys are happy now. To my fans, keep reppin me… Love you for LIFE." The rapper wanted to focus on her relationship with Kenneth Petty. However, the artist never actually left and in November 2019 she released the song 'Tusa' in collaboration with Karol G.

The world-famous Swiss tennis player first announced her retirement in 2003 at just 22 years old due to some difficult injuries. However, after her comeback in 2005, the professional tennis player decided to retire again in 2007. Hingis returned once again to tennis in 2013 and demonstrated how good she was by winning the silver medal in doubles in the Olympic games of Rio 2016. Martina Hingis officially retired from professional tennis in 2017.

Bad Bunny revealed at the end of 2022 his plans for the next year to Billboard magazine: "I'm taking a break. 2023 is it for me. For my physical health, my emotional health to breathe… We're going to celebrate. Let's go here. Let's go there. Let's go on the boat." However, most think this is just a temporary hiatus following a nasty incident the singer had with a fan.

The famous actor Rick Moranis will always be remembered for his roles in the '80s and '90s films 'The Flintstones' and 'Ghostbusters'. The actor retired in 2005 with this statement: "I'm a single parent, and I just found that it was too difficult to manage raising my kids and doing the traveling involved in making movies. So, I took a little bit of a break. And the little bit of a break turned into a longer break, and then I found that I really didn't miss it." However, in 2020 the actor confirmed his appearance in the reboot of 'Honey, I shrunk the Kid'.

Although the actress didn't officially announce a retirement, since 2014 and after her participation in the movie 'Annie', Cameron Díaz hasn't been involved in any acting project. It was precisely her co-star in 'Annie', Jamie Foxx, one of the many who encouraged the actress to go back to acting. Both actors will be working back together in a new Netflix movie called 'Back in Action', (quite fitting tbh).

After winning 7 Super Bowl titles, the American football player officially retired in 2023. In February 2022, Brady also announced his retirement but changed his mind only 40 days afterward. Critics said his tense relationship with his wife, the model Giselle Bundchen, forced the NFL star to retire in the first place. Yet, Brady came back to play his last season in the Florida Buccaneers. In October of that year, the couple broke up. Coincidence?

In 1993, after the murder of his father, the basketball star stated that he was getting away from everything. The next year, he tried a career in baseball, but in 1995, Jordan confirmed his return to basketball. In 1999, the Chicago Bulls player retired again but it wasn't official until 2003.

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