16 celebrities who unretired from Hollywood

Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter has had a full career after what he called “the worst retirement ever. “Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images Unretirement is a trend in the US labor market. Celebrities from Jay-Z to Emma Watson have been unretiring for years.

Here are singers, actors, and directors who have returned to the spotlight after calling it quits. Jay-Z told the public his 2003 project “The Black Album” would be his last. Jay-Z nearly walked away from music for good.

Leon Bennett/FilmMagicDespite his retirement announcement, Jay-Z released “Kingdom Come” in 2006. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly at the time of the album’s release, he called his three years off “the worst retirement in history. ” Since his false retirement, he has released five solo albums and four collaborative projects.

Emma Watson walked away from acting to pursue her education in 2009. Emma Watson attended the 2022 BAFTAs after she returned to acting. Jeff Spicer/Getty ImagesThe “Little Women” actress told Teen Vogue she had lost her “burning passion” and stated plainly “I don’t want to act again” in 2009.

She chose to focus on her education at Brown University instead. She returned to acting before graduation, unable to turn down projects like 2012’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and 2013’s “The Bling Ring. “Ozzy Osbourne said he was leaving the stage after his “No More Tours” tour in 1992.

Ozzy Osbourne headed back to the stage after his farewell tour in the early nineties. Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesLater, he recanted his statements and told The Mirror in 2020 that as the prince of darkness, he would keep rocking beyond the grave. Teyana Taylor walked away from music in 2020.

Teyana Taylor’s daring look at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards. Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesTaylor said she was walking away from the music industry after “feeling super underappreciated” in an Instagram post in December 2020. In April 2021, the “Bare Wit Me” singer explained that she had not retired for good on an episode of Cam Newton’s BET series “Sip ‘N Smoke.

” Taylor said the initial decision to leave the industry came from friction with her label, GOOD Music. Shia LaBeouf tweeted that he was going to retire in 2014. Shia LaBeouf recently starred in “Call Me By Your Name.

“Mike Marsland / WireImage / Sony Pictures Classics / Warner Bros. Pictures / Memento Films InternationalHe returned to the limelight shortly after the January 2014 tweets, starring in films like 2015’s “Man Down” and 2016’s “American Honey. “Garth Brooks chose to put family before fame and bowed out of the country music business until the youngest of his daughters finished high school in 2000.

Fans were excited by Garth Brooks’ comeback. Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty ImagesAccording to Billboard, he took bit gigs from 2009 to 2013, but he launched a full scale comeback in 2016. Barbra Streisand went on a farewell tour in 2000.

Barbra Streisand has left the limelight and then returned. The Project/YouTubeDespite bidding the stage farewell in 2000, Streisand went on another farewell tour in 2006, and then toured again in 2016. Cher went on a three-year farewell tour from 2002 to 2005 before coming back to perform in Las Vegas.

Cher is considered an icon. Amy Sussman/BBMA2020/Getty Images for dcpShe came out of retirement to accept a three-year residency at the The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in 2008.  Cameron Diaz told Natalie Abrams that she was “actually retired” in an interview for ET in 2018.

Cameron Diaz attends the German premiere of “Sex Tape” on September 5, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Target Presse Agentur Gmbh/WireImageLater, in a 2020 interview for Goop, she told Gwyneth Paltrow the choice to retire from acting gave her peace. She recently unretired to appear in her friend Jamie Foxx’s upcoming Netflix movie “Back In Action.

”   David Letterman announced he was leaving television after 33 years in 2015. The finale of Letterman’s tenure as host of “The Late Show” earned 13. 76 million viewers.

Mike Coppola/MJF2015/Getty ImagesHe unretired in 2018 to host the Netflix interview series “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman. ” The show features in-depth interviews with celebrities including Ryan Reynolds and Cardi B.   Phil Collins quit touring to be a more present dad in 2011.

Collins sent a statement to his fans about his retirement through his website. Desiree Navarro/Getty ImagesHe issued a statement that clarified the reasons he was quitting. In October 2015, when his children were a little older, he confirmed that he would resume performing in an interview with Rolling Stone.

“The horse is out of the stable and I’m raring to go,” he said. Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh quit making movies in 2013. Steven Soderbergh directed the celebrated 2009 slice of life project “The Girlfriend Experience.

“Emma McIntyre/Getty ImagesIn 2013, director Steven Soderbergh said his forthcoming film “Side Effects” would be his last and told New York Magazine, “I just don’t think movies matter as much anymore. ” He also expressed beliefs that directors were mistreated by Hollywood executives and financiers. In 2017, he returned from his retirement to direct Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Daniel Craig, Hilary Swank, and Katie Holmes in the NASCAR comedy “Logan Lucky.

“Tina Turner told fans she wanted to hang up her dancing shoes after her 2000 “24-7” tour, according to ABC News. Turner wrote memoirs that described her life and touring experiences. Franziska Krug/Getty ImagesShe released her greatest hits album “All The Best” in 2004 after a bit of rest.

Four years later, she performed at the 2008 Grammys with Beyoncé. Later that year, she began performing on “Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour. ” The show was so successful that it ran for 90 stops.

Hayao Miyazaki has retired and unretired several times throughout his career. Hayao Miyazaki. Getty ImagesMost recently, he unretired in 2021 to adapt “How Do You Live?,” a 1937 novel by Genzaburo Yoshino.

 Evangeline Lilly retired after her role on “Lost” ended in 2010. Evangeline Lilly played Kate Austen on the ABC series “Lost” from 2004 to 2010. George Pimentel/Getty ImagesShe came back as Hope Van Dyne in the 2018 movie “Ant-Man and the Wasp.

“James Cagney retired from acting in 1961. Cagney was a celebrated performer. Bettmann / Getty ImagesHe returned to acting after 21 years off to play Police Commissioner Waldo in the 1981 film “Ragtime.

” He told Rolling Stone his doctor advised he take on the role. Read the original article on Insider.