Why Richard Gere decided to leave the US and relocate to Spain
Richard Gere, renowned Hollywood actor, has announced his plans to step away from Hollywood.
The 75-year-old revealed his intention to move to Madrid, Spain, with his wife, Alejandra Silva, and their children. During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Gere shared that the family plans to relocate just in time for Thanksgiving.
Explaining the decision to make the move to Europe, Gere said, “My wife is Spanish, and—is this a problem for anybody out there?” His lighthearted remark drew surprised reactions from the audience. Reassuring fans, he added, “Of course, I’ll be back!”
According to him, his wife had given him an ultimatum about residing in the States and his time was up.
“My wife is Spanish and she gave me about seven years here, so we’re going to spend some years in Madrid,” he explained.
The actor further added that his children are bilingual and that they would “flourish” in Spain.
“My wife, she grew up in a very big Spanish family, like a big Italian family,” he laughed.
“Her grandmother was kind of the glue that held that altogether, and the grandmother passed away about a year and a half ago, two years ago.
“So my wife, I can see her morphing into the new grandmother of this extended family. She’s already planning for, you know, 35 people for Sunday lunches.”
Speaking to Vanity Fair Spain earlier this year, the Runaway Bride star confessed that a possible move to Spain would help him get out of his comfort zone. His wife would get to be close to her family and friends, and their kids would get to know the culture better.
“For me, going to Madrid is going to be a great adventure,” he confessed back in April. “Because I have never lived full-time outside the United States,” he told the magazine.
In October, Gere sold his home in Connecticut for $10.7 million. He previously purchased the six-bedroom property from Grammy-winning singer Paul Simon in 2022 for $10.8 million.
Richard Gere isn’t the sole American celebrity who moved places out of the States. Recently, TV show host Ellen Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi relocated to England.