After relocating to Texas in 2020, Adrian Grenier has elaborated on his decision to leave Hollywood behind in favor of spending more time in nature.
During a recent appearance on “Today With Hoda & Jenna,” aired on Feb. 9, the “Entourage” star reflected on his transition from big city to rural country life. The 47-year-old actor, who grew up in New York, said he was “flying high” for two decades living in Hollywood. However, he realized that he wanted a change of lifestyle and scenery.
“I decided that I was going to live closer to nature and commit to my wife and have a family—and have a child, which I’m so excited about,” he said. So, he decided to make Texas his permanent residence.
The couple later eloped to Morocco in 2022, per People, and welcomed a son, Seiko Aurelius, the following year, whom Mr. Grenier gushed about on “Today.”
Being Closer to Nature
Mr. Grenier’s official move to Texas was years in the making. He bought his first property in Austin around 2016, according to an interview published in the June 2021 issue of Austin Lifestyle. After moving to Bastrop in 2020, he told the magazine that he felt most at “peace” in the far less populous city. Known as “the Heart of the Lost Pines,” the small town is bisected by the rushing waters of the Colorado River and offers abundant access to the great outdoors.
“Just to be here, to be me, to be rooted, to feel the earth, to dig in the dirt . . . it’s so grounding. I'd been stepping on concrete my whole life, separate from the earth. Here and now, I feel so much more centered and balanced,” he said.
On the homestead, the actor and his family grow their food and raise a variety of animals—including goats, llamas, and chickens. “Our intention is to create a wildlife sanctuary, with elements to give wild animals respite—food for bees and butterflies, birdboxes for migratory birds,” he continued.
In addition to living “a much more grounded lifestyle,” which Mr. Grenier called a “breath of fresh air,” per an interview with People in September 2023. The actor said he favors the generally less pretentious attitudes of the rural town.
“There’s not a lot of social climbing, not a lot of status people,” he explained. “A lot of times in cities, I’ve always felt a little bit like I have to keep up with the Joneses. And here, it feels [like] there’s a lot of acceptance and, especially where I live, a lot of my friends are farmers and homesteaders and just really open-hearted and not afraid to put in a hard day’s work. Salt of the earth and very loving.”
Celebrities Leaving California
Mr. Grenier has joined a growing list of celebrities who have fled the urban jungles of California for a simpler, more rural life. Actor James Van Der Beek, star of “Dawson’s Creek,” and comedian Joe Rogan also left the state in 2020 to set their roots in Texas.Mr. Van Der Beek—who shares six children with his wife, Kimberly—told Good Morning America in 2023 that he and his family now have “a better connection to nature.”
Mr. Rogan revealed in a September 2023 episode of his Podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” that he left the Golden State after living there for 30 years. He attributed the move to his frustrations over the state’s strict COVID-19 measures.
According to a 2023 report by the Public Policy Institute of California, the state experienced a sharp decline in population during the pandemic, with most residents moving to Texas, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. In a 2023 study from the Standford Institute for Economic Policy Research, 407,000 people left California from July 2021 to July 2022. This was largely attributed to the state’s high cost of living.
