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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesSeveral celebrities said they might leave the United States if a particular candidate won or an election went a certain way. The best-known cluster centers on Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, but the remarks ranged from serious-sounding plans to jokes—and later explanations changed the picture for some of them. A conditional threat is not proof that someone moved: the statements and any reported follow-through need to be considered separately.
What celebrities said they would leave if Trump won in 2016
These examples come from selected reporting, not a complete list of every public figure who made such a remark. They also differ in tone and specificity: some named a destination, while others spoke in comic or exaggerated terms.
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Cher: leaving the planet
At an event supporting Hillary Clinton, Cher said, “I’m going to have to leave the planet,” according to CBS News’s 2016 roundup. The line was hyperbole, not a literal relocation plan.
Ne-Yo: Canada, with a Drake reference
CBS quoted Ne-Yo saying, “Me and Drake gonna be neighbors if Donald Trump becomes president.” His remark tied the hypothetical move to Canada and to the Canadian rapper Drake. TMZ’s report covers the election contingency and Drake reference, though its text does not give the full spoken quote.
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Keegan-Michael Key: a nearby destination
Key pointed to Canada, saying it was “like, 10 minutes from Detroit,” and CBS reported that his mother lived there. The remark named a destination with a personal connection, but the cited coverage does not establish that he moved.
Lena Dunham: Vancouver
In April 2016, Dunham said, “I know a lot of people have been threatening to do this, but I really will. I know a lovely place in Vancouver and I can get my work done from there,” as quoted by CBS. The reporting establishes what she said, not a subsequent move.
Chelsea Handler: a stated contingency, then a decision to stay
Before the election, Handler told CBS, “I did buy a house in another country just in case, so all of these people that threaten to leave the country and then don’t — I will leave the country.” After Trump won, she said she had decided to remain in the United States and use her public voice in advocacy. In a later account, she recalled colleagues telling her, “You have a responsibility, you have a voice and you need to use it, and you have to be here,” as reported by Fox News.
Bryan Cranston: an expatriate, if the result happened
Speaking to The Bestseller Experiment podcast, Cranston said, “Absolutely. I would definitely move. It’s not real to me that that would happen. I hope to God it won’t.” He added, “It wouldn’t be a vacation. I’d be an expatriate.” TheWrap’s November 2016 report also captures his qualification: he did not expect to have to pack.
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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Miley Cyrus: a deleted post and a later clarification
Cyrus’s Instagram post saying she was moving if Trump became president was later deleted; her original post is no longer available in the reviewed coverage. A retrospective report says she later clarified that she was not planning on “abandoning [the] country.” The post and walk-back are covered in Fox News’s retrospective.
Earlier election remarks: Jon Stewart and Barbra Streisand
Jon Stewart: a 2015 joke about another planet
In a 2015 press exchange about the hypothetical of Donald Trump winning, comedian and television host Jon Stewart said, “I would consider getting in a rocket and going to another planet because clearly this planet has gone bonkers.” The comic exchange, reported by Vanity Fair on September 21, 2015, should not be mistaken for a plan to relocate abroad.
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Barbra Streisand: separate remarks in 2000 and 2016
Fox News reported retrospectively that Streisand said in 2000, “I don’t think you’ll see me around here for at least four years.” The same outlet later reported that, in the 2016 Trump election context, she considered Canada or Australia. Those are distinct remarks tied to different election years; Fox’s retrospective says she remained in the United States after the 2000 statement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Did the celebrities actually move?
A statement about what someone might do is not evidence that they did it. The reporting supports different outcomes in different cases, so claims about moves should be checked person by person rather than inferred from a campaign-era quote.
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What the reporting says about follow-through
- Chelsea Handler: She said she chose to stay in the United States and advocate there.
- Miley Cyrus: She later said she was not planning to abandon the country.
- Rosie O’Donnell: A 2026 Fox News retrospective reports that she moved to Ireland after Trump’s 2024 reelection and applied for citizenship.
- James Cameron: The same 2026 account says he had already been living in New Zealand before the 2024 election and obtained legal citizenship in 2025. It describes politics as among the factors he cited, not necessarily the sole reason for his move.
These later examples are not proof that earlier conditional threats were carried out. The report also notes that some other public figures who moved abroad did not directly cite Trump or his policies.
How to assess viral claims
In a fact-check published November 26, 2024, PolitiFact found no credible news reporting that the celebrities named in the viral posts it examined had left the United States after that election. It also found no evidence that John Legend’s 2020 comment about sometimes thinking of leaving had become a real plan. That check addressed specific claims as of its publication date; it does not settle whether someone moved later.
Quick Recap
Why these statements should not be treated as equivalent
- Different levels of seriousness: “I would definitely move” is more direct than a joke about leaving Earth, but each remark still needs its original context.
- Different kinds of commitment: A conditional thought, a stated intention, a purchase mentioned as a contingency, and a confirmed relocation are not the same thing.
- Different evidence of outcomes: A later clarification or reported move matters, but should be attributed and tied to the specific person and date.
- Selected examples, not a survey: News roundups collect notable remarks; they do not provide a measured count of celebrities who followed through.
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