Lindsay Lohan Explains Why Dubai Beats Hollywood for Privacy and Peace
Hi, I’m Avery Sinclair. Oh, this should be fun.
Lindsay Lohan says she feels more secure in Dubai thanks to surprising local privacy laws that keep paparazzi at bay and let her family live a normal life far from Hollywood’s prying eyes. During her July 29 appearance on Live With Kelly and Mark, Lohan, now 39, explained why she and her husband, finance whiz Bader Shammas, chose to settle in a city better known for towering skyscrapers than celebrity gossip.
More than a decade after packing her bags for the United Arab Emirates, the Freaky Friday star marvels at not having to tiptoe around crowded restaurants to avoid lens-hungry photographers. “It’s not legal,” she told E! News, referring to Dubai’s rule that you must ask for permission before snapping someone’s photo in a public spot. “Privacy is key.” That single regulation, Lohan insists, delivers a level of peace of mind she never found back on Sunset Boulevard.
The actress also revealed that she and Shammas tied the knot in 2022 after meeting by chance at a restaurant in Dubai. Their son, Luai, now two, keeps Lohan on her toes with toddler mischief worthy of a sitcom. At one recent interview Lohan recounted how her little boy mockingly repeated her phrase “Don’t do that, Luai” back at her with a cheeky grin. “He runs out the door yelling, ‘Outside,’” Lohan laughed to E! News, “and I spend half my day playing catch-up.”
While Lohan has found bliss in Dubai’s calm, she is not alone in relocating overseas. Ellen DeGeneres shocked fans when she announced she would leave Hollywood for England after her Netflix special For Your Approval, as reported by SFGate. The Emmy winner and her wife, Portia de Rossi, moved to the U.K. in late 2024, citing both privacy needs and political anxieties after Donald Trump’s reelection.
Tyra Banks made headlines as well when she shifted her base to Australia to spearhead her ice cream brand SMiZE and Dream, telling Today with Jenna and Friends that the country’s booming dessert market and production facilities made the move irresistible. And Eva Longoria, who once portrayed a suburban mom on Desperate Housewives, admitted to Marie Claire that Los Angeles changed so much during the pandemic that a fresh start was overdue.
So what’s next for Lohan beyond playing an ever-wiser mom and relishing Dubai’s no-flash zones? With scripts in development and her little boy’s next milestones just around the corner, the former child star is proving that sometimes the simplest life can be the most satisfying. Stay tuned for more updates on Lindsay’s projects and whether any Hollywood blockbusters will lure her back across the pond. Nothing wild to report, but her next chapter might just surprise us.
And that’s today’s dose of reality. You’re welcome.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and Live With Kelly and Mark, E! News, SFGate, Today with Jenna and Friends, Marie Claire
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
