George Clooney flees the US and claims his Hollywood life was a ‘nightmare’ for his kids, then he moved where no one expected

George Clooney and his wife, Amal Clooney, have officially been granted French citizenship along with their 8-year-old twins, Ella and Alexander, marking a decisive break from their Hollywood-centered life in the United States. The move cements a transition the family has been quietly making for years, prioritizing privacy and normalcy over proximity to the entertainment industry.

According to the Associated Press, the French government confirmed the family’s naturalization in a decree published last weekend in the Journal Officiel. This is the country’s official record for legal announcements.

Clooney has been unusually candid about what motivated the decision, framing it almost entirely around his children. He has said that raising them in Los Angeles, and within the broader culture of Hollywood, became a source of constant stress that he ultimately found untenable.

This was about escaping a lifestyle he called a nightmare

Clooney has described the experience of raising children in the public eye as deeply uncomfortable, saying he worried about his kids growing up under constant scrutiny. He has spoken about wanting to avoid a childhood defined by paparazzi, comparisons to other celebrity families, and the pressure that comes with being famous by association rather than choice.

The family has made an 18th-century farmhouse near the town of Brignoles in southern France their primary residence. Clooney has pointed to everyday differences that stand out to him, including less screen time and more shared routines. He has said his children now eat dinner with adults and help clear the table, a rhythm of life he felt was difficult to establish in Los Angeles.

French privacy laws have also played a major role in the move. Unlike in the U.S., strict legal protections in France limit the ability of photographers to capture images of children without consent. That framework has allowed the Clooneys to maintain a low profile and largely disappear from the celebrity news cycle, something Clooney has openly welcomed.

Local officials have said the family has blended easily into the community. The mayor of Brignoles has described the Clooneys as approachable and unpretentious, noting that Clooney has been seen shopping in town and attending local cultural events. The contrast with Hollywood life is striking, especially when compared with ongoing conversations about how celebrity culture affects children, like recent reactions to Kim Kardashian’s highly publicized Christmas gifts for her kids, which sparked backlash online.

While Amal Clooney and the twins are fluent in French, Clooney has admitted he still struggles with the language, joking that his family sometimes speaks French around him so he cannot understand. The naturalization notice also revealed that Amal was naturalized under her maiden name, Amal Alamuddin, and confirmed Clooney’s middle name is Timothy. His comments echo a broader pattern seen among former child stars and celebrity families who later reflect on the pressures of early fame, such as Macaulay Culkin’s recent remarks about his own childhood in Hollywood. It remains unclear whether Clooney plans to retain his American citizenship alongside his new French status.