Have you ever wondered what your favorite celeb is doing after they take a break from the spotlight? We’re left to fend for ourselves, listen to their songs performed by them, turn on the movies they starred or rewatch their performances in hopes that we’ll see them again.
Many of them took a break, while others pivoted and we just didn’t know it. According to workplace experts, we should take a page out of their book.
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.
Experts also advise taking a quick break from work to gauge the next best step in your career and return stronger.
“Black women face an extraordinary amount of societal pressure at the onset by just being themselves,” said Gala Jackson, Director of Coaching and Lead Executive Career Coach at Ellevest in an earlier interview with ESSENCE. “When we couple that with the world’s recent events and professional ambitions, it’s not hard to deduce that they need a break after a while.”
These celebrities did just that, and came back bigger and better than ever. Here’s a look at their triumphant returns.
01
Monique
For years, the talented actress and comedian spoke of being black-balled from Hollywood, which indirectly led to her being undersold for a Netflix special. She wound up suing the streaming platform and battled it out in a contentious legal battle for some time. But earlier this year, she shocked the world when she not only announced that the suit was dropped, but she would be working with the network again for
a new comedy special.
03
Halle Berry
Since the 1990s, Halle Berry has been a household, often appearing on the big screen in multiple films a year for decades. But from about 2018 to 2019, she was a bit more elusive and fans were asking questions. However, she set the record straight in a 2019 Instagram post: “I didn’t disappear. I traded: nights out for knowledge seeking, parties for intimate gatherings, chasing money for chasing purpose, meaningless work for my passion, being busy for protecting time, soul extortion for soul searching, living for others for living my life.”
Since then, she’s made her return in a series of films, including the lauded film Bruised. Not to mention she’s an absolute fave on Twitter.
04
Dave Chappelle
The comedic actor sent shockwaves around the world when he walked away from his iconic series Chappelle’s Show in 2003 despite it’s immense success. Nearly two decades later, he returned with a new comedy specials in 2018, a litany of interviews and new material.
05
Rihanna
The Bajan beauty has spent the last six years building a billion-dollar empire, leaving music behind, or so we thought. In a simple Instagram
post made on September 25, she announced that she’d be headlining the 2023 Superbowl. Talk about a return.
