“Luke Skywalker” himself, Mark Hamill, nearly packed his bags and moved out of the country. The beloved actor seriously thought about an international relocation after the 2024 presidential election.
Hamill, now 73, shared his thoughts in an interview with The Times, published on Saturday, August 16. He said, "I still believe there are more honest and decent people than those in the MAGA crowd." He was talking about the political movement made popular by current President Donald Trump.
The Star Wars star is well-known for sharing his political views online. He explained that after Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election, he told his wife, Marilou York, to pick a new home: London or Ireland.
His wife, Hamill noted, is very clever. "She didn’t answer right away," he said. "But a week later she told me, ‘I’m surprised you’re letting him force you out of your own country.’ That son of a b****, I thought. I’m not leaving." Thanks to her wisdom, Hamill decided to stay put.
While Hamill chose to remain, other Hollywood figures have actually left the United States due to the political climate. Rosie O’Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres are among them.
Rosie O’Donnell, 63, spoke to a major entertainment publication earlier this year. She moved to Ireland with her son, who has autism, after Trump won the 2024 presidential election. “We chose Ireland and didn’t really know where to go,” she said. “And someone mentioned Dalkey, and I found a house online that was in Glengarry. But when those helping us move went there, they found mold.”
O’Donnell later told the same publication she was surprised to learn that Ellen DeGeneres, also a former daytime talk show host, had moved for political reasons too.
Rosie O’Donnell on Ellen DeGeneres’ Move
“I’ve never known Ellen to say anything political in her life, so I was surprised to read she left because of President Trump. In fact, it shocked me,” O’Donnell explained. “I’ve been a political person my whole life, for better or worse, it’s just a different way of being in the world. I was very clear about why I was leaving, and I don’t think it surprised anyone. We really don’t live in the same world, and it has been a bit uncomfortable, but you know what? I wish her the best. I hope she has peace and love in her life and that she is well.”
O’Donnell continued, “I don’t want to fight with another gay woman. It’s not that we are stubbornly opposed. We are just very different people. There were some things in the past that we never resolved. And not in any way as a couple, lovers or anything like that, only as friends and comedians, but I wish her the best. I really do. I think there is enough room in the world for all gay comedians and we should all stick together because gay people are the next group to be threatened. And the way they attack trans people is absolutely terrifying. If people don’t understand that they are a vital part of the LGBTQIA+ community, that’s tragic because we protect our own, especially the most vulnerable.”
As President Trump and other Republican leaders continue to support anti-trans laws, mainly targeting young trans people, the president has also publicly attacked O’Donnell. He did this on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Mark Hamill and President Donald Trump Getty Images
“Because Rosie O’Donnell is of no interest to our great country, I am seriously considering stripping her of citizenship,” Trump wrote on the platform in July. “She is a threat to humanity and should remain in the wonderful country of Ireland, if they want her. God Bless America!”
A quick fact-check, though: a president cannot take away the citizenship of someone born in the U.S. Julia Gelatt, an expert who spoke to The New York Times, confirmed this.
Rosie O’Donnell Responds to Trump
O’Donnell fired back at the president’s threats soon after, taking to Instagram.
“Hey Donald, nervous again? Eighteen years later and I’m still living rent-free in that crumbling brain of yours,” O’Donnell wrote. She also shared a photo of the president posing next to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. “You call me a threat to humanity, but I am everything you fear: a loud woman, a queer woman, a truth-telling mother, an American who left the country before you set it on fire. You build walls, I build a life for my autistic son in a country where decency still exists. You demand loyalty, I teach my children to question power. You sell fear on golf courses, I care, create, persist. You are everything wrong with America and I am everything you hate about what is still right. Want to revoke my citizenship? Go ahead, try, King Joffrey with a spray-tan tangerine. I’m not yours to silence, never was.”