These Are The Biggest Celeb Pivots Out Of The Spotlight
These starlets oped out of fame to choose different career paths.
Amerie during Amerie Signs Her Album Touch at Virgin Megastore in New York City – April 26, 2005 at Virgin Megastore in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
Achieving fame is not easy, so it can be almost unimaginable to give it up. Despite this, there are a handful of our favorite star that have stepped out of the spotlight to focus on other endeavors. Professional pivots aren’t atypical and are even recommended.
As previously reported by ESSENCE, Psychology and labor expert Allison Gabriel workers should redefine what their career looks like for them every dozen or so years in a field. “We’re seeing people decide 10 or more years into their careers that they want to try something completely new,” she told Bloomberg in 2022.
With that, here’s a look at some celebs who opted out of fame for a new career.
Amerie
Amerie during Amerie Signs Her Album Touch at Virgin Megastore in New York City – April 26, 2005 at Virgin Megastore in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
Amerie burst onto the scene as a magnetic singer in the early aughts, and reached almost instant success with her first two albums. In recent years, the singer has chosen to lean into her love of reading and launched a digital book club.
Article continues after video.
Al Green
NEW YORK, NY – October 17, 2009: ( MANDATORY CREDIT Bill Tompkins/Getty Images ) Al Green performing at club BB King’s in New York City. October 17, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Bill Tompkins/Getty Images)
The legendary soul singer Al Green crooned his way into our hearts more than 50 years ago when his hit “Let’s Stay Together” charted high. His music career garnered countless accolades, including 11 Grammy Awards, but he took a step back more than two decades ago to focus on his ministry as a pastor.
Lauryn Hill
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 21: Lauryn Hill attends GRAMMY Museum’s Inaugural GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Gala and Concert presented by City National Bank at The Novo by Microsoft at L.A. Live on May 21, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sarah Morris/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
The iconic rapper, singer and actress made history as first Black woman to win five Grammys in one year in 1999 for her album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Since then she has remained at the forefront of GOAT musician conversations despite never releasing another studio or any other acting projects of note. Instead, for decades she leaned into motherhood, and more recently returned to the stage for spot shows.
Dave Chappelle
NAPA, CALIFORNIA – JULY 29: Dave Chappelle speaks on the Black Radio stage at the Blue Note Jazz Festival at Silverado Resort and Spa on July 29, 2023 in Napa, California. (Photo by Richard Bord/Getty Images)
Article continues after video.
The iconic comedian famously shocked the world when in 2005, he ended his hit television show The Chappelle Show and left the country for South Africa for many years. What’s more surprising was the back end news that he reportedly exited from a $50 million deal in the midst of his sojourn.
“Did the fame scare you?” CBS’s Gayle King asked him in a 2017 interview. “Fame, yeah, but not so much that I get on a plane to Africa. Fame is not that kind of scary. But it is – fame is a horrifying concept when it’s aimed at you, you know? At the end of the day, it’s so – you don’t have that much control over it. You just try to conduct yourself as best you can.”
Mashonda
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 02: Mashonda Tifrere attends the Femme It Forward GRAMMY High Tea at Private Residence on February 02, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Lila Seeley/Getty Images)
Mashonda began her career as a singer-songwriter in the 90s and 00s before signing a record deal of her own. As a solo artist, she worked with Eve, Jay Z and Snoop Dogg but despite the success, took another path to art curation.
“As I grew older and started making money, it was never a question that I wouldn’t buy art,” she told ESSENCE in 2020. “I don’t even look at it as an investment; I always just knew that I wanted good art at my house.”
To date, she has curated many collections and exhibitions.
The Ultimate Financial Guide For Child-Free Black Women
A strategic guide to building wealth, securing your future, and embracing financial freedom—on your terms.
Serious Afro-American woman is sitting on a sofa and looking at a laptop while holding a paper in her hand. She is wearing glasses. She might be working from home or studying, or paying a utility bill. She is wearing a green shirt and jeans.
Living a child-free life is a deeply personal decision that challenges long-standing societal expectations and sparks conversations about identity, fulfillment, and legacy.
While parenthood is often framed as the natural next step in adulthood, more people are intentionally opting out, prioritizing career ambitions, financial freedom, personal growth, and relationships in ways that don’t include raising children. Yet, despite growing acceptance, the choice to be child-free still comes with stigma, misconceptions, and persistent questions about “who will take care of you when you’re old?” or “won’t you regret it?”
These have been queries I’ve faced for years, mainly when I’ve answered honestly, “Do you want kids.” Responding to “no” often brings mixed emotions, but empowerment rises above the rest. I own my role in my legacy-making, and a considerable part of that is planning for a future that many financial institutions don’t consider.
Dr. Jay Zigmont is on a mission to reshape financial planning for those who choose a life without children. As one of the few certified financial planners in the US specializing in child-free finances, Zigmont understands that traditional wealth-building strategies often revolve around raising a family. But what about those who are forging a different path? In his new book, The Childfree Guide to Life and Money: Make Your Finances Simple So Your Life Without Kids Can Be Amazing, Zigmont offers a roadmap for financial freedom tailored to the unique needs, goals, and aspirations of child-free individuals.
From retirement planning to legacy building, his approach challenges the notion that wealth is only for those with dependents—and instead, helps readers craft a fulfilling, financially secure life on their terms.
Why A Book Like This Is So Important
I live to travel, so buying a house is not a big goal. Since I love my career, saving for retirement isn’t a priority. I’m also not working as hard as I do to pass on wealth to the next generation. With that, many financial advice platforms aren’t geared toward my goals.
Zigmont says this is precisely why he decided to write his book.
“Building generational wealth, creating nest eggs for future children, those types of things Tare core assumptions among personal finance experts,” Zigmont tells ESSENCE. “That means that the other rack of financial planning books, because there are a bunch, do not fit.”
Although my choice to be a child-free woman isn’t as popular, I’m not special, Zigmont.
“I hate to say it that way, but you’re one of 32% of US child-friendly folks who are single and will never marry. There are 50 to 60 million child-free people in the US. So, there are about 16 million child-free soloists like you. That’s why this book has to exist.”
Child-Free Planning Tools
Zigmont points out that popular personal finance experts like Dave Ramsey have created entire programs around family planning, which helps users figure out debt management, when to buy a car, a house, and other life milestones when you’re also aiming to have children shortly.
“Ramsey does not have a plan for after you have kids,” Zigmont says. “Ramsey says, ‘That’s between you and God; they come whenever.’ They’re not part of that plan.”
Although Zigmont attests Ramsey’s advice is phenomenal, there’s a crucial next step that his guidance doesn’t include.
“What about the second half of your life?”
Zigmont’s book delves into this and outlines everything from retirement policies to life insurance plans that make the most sense for child-free people.
Life Insurance
Life insurance is usually what people purchase to financially safeguard their nuclear families’ future in the event of their death. Understandably, life insurance may not be a fitting investment for child-free by-choice individuals.
Article continues after video.
“What people miss about life insurance is that it’s supposed to protect your income if somebody needs it after you pass,” Zigmont explains.
In most cases, our emergency funds alone far outweigh what a cheap life insurance policy offers.
With that, Zigmont suggests looking into disability insurance to cover unexpected interruptions in income due to an injury, accident, or illness. Essentially, it’s a life insurance policy that works for YOUR life while you’re living it.
Long-term Healthcare
Zigmont implores child-free-by-choice people to think about who is to “take care of them” in the event of an emergency.
“If you’re hit by that proverbial bus and go to the hospital without any executor paperwork,” that could be an issue. The medical staff doesn’t know who makes decisions for you. That means the healthcare organization or government will decide for you. And I don’t care what political position you take; nobody wants the government making decisions for their lives.” He points out that that’s usually the origin of horror stories about people being stuffed in Draconian conservatorships.
“What I tell all of my child-free people is, I don’t care what age you are, you have to get a will, medical power attorney, and financial power attorney in place. And you can do it because it’s not hard. There’s a website called Freewill.com, which is free to use. You might have to get a notary, usually less than $15 bucks. The next question is figuring out whose name you will put as your fiduciary because it can’t be your parents’; that’s going in the wrong direction.”
In answer to this, Zigmont said he’s working on a product in which “we’ll partner with a trusted company to serve as the executor of medical and financial power of attorney and carry out the wishes of the child-free person.”
Caregiving resources
Child-free-by-choice individuals are often assigned the role of caregiver in their immediate families since they don’t have their own kids to care for. Zigmont created a roadmap in his book to help this group have the resources they need to care for their aging parents or an ill sibling for instance.
“It’s called No Baby Steps, which is your plan for your parents,” he explains, sharing that his mother has been disabled most of his life, and he’s been caring for her for many years.
In it, he not only outlines some financial guidance, but also guardrails for keeping yourself in the center of your caregiving.
“My wife and I set boundaries,” he says. “That’s incredibly important—just because you’re not a parent doesn’t mean everyone should have ownership of your time and money.”
Coping With Societal Judgements As A Child-Free-By-Choice Person
Black women are often expected to be the caretakers of the family, even if they don’t have children of their own. And even if you forego that hurdle, culturally, women choosing to remain child-free are often judged harshly. In answer to this, Zigmont simply says, “that’s not your problem.”
“The reality check is you’re not going to change your parent,” Zigmont says..” It’s just the truth of it. What I often will tell folks is to do some work to figure out who’s voices in your head are saying you have to have children, or even consider having children. And it’s usually culture and religion. Once you identify that, you can figure out where you are as a person. The problem is you are choosing a harder path. I’m just being transparent.”
He suggests looking into resources like the Love Jones Cohort, a study that looks into the voices and lifestyles of members of the Black middle class who are single and living alone. Zigmont also recommended No Bibs, Burps, Bottles, a child-free platform that specifically geared toward Black women.
“These platforms help you remember that this is your money…this your life. You get to live how you want.”