Where Has Jason Segel Been Since Leaving Hollywood?

For years, Freaks and Geeks alum Jason Segel has been known for starring in rom-com films like I Love You, Man and successful TV shows like How I Met Your Mother. Considering the series finale of How I Met Your Mother aired back in March 2014, Segel has not been tied down to the world of Tinseltown for quite some time. Now, Segel shares where he's made his home since leaving Hollywood.

While some actors may be all for the glitz and glam of celebrity life, Jason Segel definitely is not one of them. On Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Segel revealed that he's experiencing small-town living and opened up about what he enjoys about it:

I really like being in a small town. Like, I go to the high school football games and stuff and eat a sandwich, which I didn't know if you could do without kids, but you can. And I go to the Christmas play in town and I wait outside and ask little kids to sign my playbill. It's really fun. I love it. [The kids in town] have no idea who I am.

The star definitely paints a quaint picture, and one can imagine that it's refreshing for him after the hustle bustle of the city. Something he also relishes is a lack of notoriety and, based on his comments, it's easy for him to go incognito in a post-How I Met Your Mother world:

I moved there like eight years ago. I moved there when How I Met Your Mother ended. I was like, 'Oh, I can do whatever I want now.’ And I’m going to go live in this town, and I never left.

This comedic actor isn't only star who has made the bold decision to leave Hollywood within the past several years. For instance, Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky left Hollywood in order to detach themselves from work. They also say that living in their new home in Byron Bay, Australia has also allowed their kids to spend more time with nature and have fun with animals. Recently Matthew McConaughey’s wife, Camila Alves, opened up about their decision to leave the star-studded town. And last November, it was even reported that Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendez were looking to move away from California in order to look after their children’s well-being and privacy.

While Jason Segel is enjoying the simple life, he's still doing the acting work that he loves. One of his most recent projects, ironically, is the flashy inning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (which can be streamed with an HBO Max subscription).  Critics are enjoying the basketball-centric HBO show, which is likely gratifying for Segel as a Los Angeles native and longtime fan of the NBA team. Aside from the TV series, he also recently starred in Windfall, available with a Netflix subscription.

Despite his work, it's likely that Jason Segel will continue to bask in his relaxing surroundings. And to be honest, given how busy Hollywood is, you can't really blame him.

Carly Levy
Entertainment Writer

Just your average South Floridian cinephile who believes the pen is mightier than the sword.