Celebrities Who Retired (and then Unretired) from Their Industries

Retired: 2000
Unretired: 2014
Reason: Unknown 

Alongside his wife Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks is one of the biggest country superstars of all time. In 2000, he decided his time would be better spent at home in Oklahoma with his wife and kids until his youngest child finished high school. At the time, he was just 42 years old. 

Garth Brooks @garthbrooks/Instagram

Brooks largely stuck to his word, but he did perform sometimes – including a huge Las Vegas residency that he shared with his wife. In 2014, he came back to touring full pelt and stayed on the road for the next three years. 

Retired: Various
Unretired: Various
Reason: Different fight opportunities 

Conor McGregor helped transform UFC into what it is today, bringing the sport to the forefront in recent years. McGregor has earned millions from his talents over the years, but it is a particularly unforgiving athletic pursuit. Given that, it’s hardly surprising that McGregor has retired several times over the past few years. 

Conor McGregor @thenotoriousmma/Instagram

His latest “announcement” came in August 2022 when he tweeted, “MMA, I’ll never forget you! Easy work.” At this point, the Irishman had not fought since the year prior, having broken his leg in the ring. At the time of writing in fall 2022, it’s not clear what McGregor’s career plans are. 

Retired: Various
Unretired: Various
Reason: Lucrative contracts 

It’s no secret that numerous teams were willing to pay through the nose to get Michael Jordan in the ‘90s. By 1993, the 30-year-old star athlete announced that he was retiring, disappointing fans worldwide. However, he then signed a contract with the Chicago White Sox before going back to the Chicago Bulls in ‘95. 

Michael Jordan @jumpman23/Instagram

This wasn’t Jordan’s only retirement, either. He hung up his jersey again in 1999, before retiring for good in 2003. Given that his net worth is $1 billion, it looks like this is one athlete that knows his worth. 

Retired: Early ‘90s
Unretired: Mid-2000s
Reason: Potential earnings 

There isn’t a person in existence that hasn’t had Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” stuck in their head at least once. The ‘80s superstar played numerous live shows throughout his rise but decided to quit for good in the early ‘90s. A decade later, he felt like it was time to return and give the people what they wanted – another album. 

Rick Astley @officialrickastley/Instagram

After a successful return to live music, Astley’s 2016 took the number 1 one spot on the U.K. charts, making him a tidy profit. Whether he’ll retire again at some point remains to be seen, but for the moment, it looks like Rick is never going to give up… 

Retired: 2015
Unretired: 2016
Reason: Very lucrative earnings 

As a NASCAR driver, Jeff Gordon had the time of his life and made an incredible amount of money while doing it. He saddened fans in 2015 when he announced it would be his final season, explaining that he might come back for special events in the distant future. 

Jeff Gordon @jeffgordonweb/Instagram

The distant future turned out to be very close, as Gordon took Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s spot when he succumbed to injury and had to bow out. Although it really was a temporary comeback, Gordon reportedly earned over $20 million for it. 

Retired: 1999
Unretired: 2006
Reason: To appear in a cameo as a favor to Robert De Niro 

Fans of mob movies know Joe Pesci as an original Wise Guy. He garnered praise for his parts in movies like Goodfellas and Casino, gaining a reputation as a tough nut. In 1999, he announced plans to turn away from acting to focus on enjoying life and releasing music. 

Joe Pesci ©Eugene Powers/Shutterstock.com

In 2006, Pesci had a small cameo in De Niro’s 2006 movie The Good Shepherd, but it was by no means a return to full-time performing. He has starred in just two other movies since, including 2019’s The Irishman alongside De Niro and Al Pacino. Pesci reportedly refused the part over 50 times before finally relenting, admitting it would likely be the last time he would share the screen with his longtime friends and collaborators. 

Retired: 1998
Unretired: 1999
Reason: Interesting projects 

There aren’t many actors that can put both horror icon and pope on their resume, but Anthony Hopkins can. The Welsh-born star has been in the business for decades, showing young up-and-coming artists how it’s done. Even titans of industry can get disillusioned, though. 

Anthony Hopkins ©Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock.com

In 1998, Hopkins told the Daily Mail that “acting is bad for the mental health. I can’t take it anymore.” It looked as if he was done with the biz, but less than a year later he was back filming. Since then, Anthony has scored two more Academy Awards and now has no current plans to retire. 

Retired: 1971
Unretired: Various
Reason: To do special performances 

Ol’ Blue Eyes Frank Sinatra enjoyed a glittering career during a time that was pivotal in shaping the entertainment industry. Making the transition between actor and musician seamless, Sinatra delighted audiences for decades. In 1971, at the age of 55, Frankie retired from touring and live performances.

Frank Sinatra ©mark reinstein/Shutterstock.com

It wasn’t exactly the end, though. Sinatra did return many times over the years for special events, anniversary shows, and more. His last performance was in 1995 in California, with Sinatra facing his final curtain three years before passing away at the age of 82 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles.

Retired: Semi-retired mid-2010s
Unretired: 2022
Reason: To star in The Whale 

In the ‘90s, Brendon Fraser made it big as a hysterically funny actor in movies like Bedazzled, George of the Jungle, and The Mummy. While he was always a fan favorite, Fraser’s luck began to turn in the noughties, leading him to semi-retire from the business. In the 2010s, he starred in a handful of projects but it seemed like his blockbuster days were behind him. 

Brendan Fraser ©Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images

Then, along came Darren Aronofksy’s The Whale. Fraser landed the lead role in the award-winning project, marking a triumphant return to the big screen. He then went on to star in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon and Max Barbakow’s Brothers. 

Retired: 1991 
Unretired: 1998 
Reason: Boxing, his other passion, did too much damage to his face 

Before Mickey Rourke became an actor, he was a boxer. He chose to venture into Hollywood in the 1990s with movies like The Rainmaker, Buffalo ’66, The Pledge, Get Carter, and more. Frequently, Rourke has left acting to pursue personal ventures (or, in some cases, go back to boxing).

Mickey Rourke ©Terry Straehley/Shutterstock.com

He’s gone from boxer to actor to actor to boxer (and back again a few times). In 1991, Rourke announced that he was retiring from acting to go back to boxing, a sport in which he excelled from 1964 until 1973. But, boxing did too much damage to his face, and he was back in front of the camera by 1998.

Retired: 1950 
Unretired: 1969 
Reason: Wanted to venture into politics, leaving child stardom behind 

Remember Shirley Temple? The child star was a hit in movies like The Little Princess, Heidi, Bright Eyes, Baby Burlesks, and more. She was one of the top box office draws in America from 1934 until 1938. She retired from acting in 1950 at the age of twenty-two, realizing her success as a child star wasn’t going to translate to adulthood.

Shirley Temple ©Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock.com

She didn’t stay out of the public eye forever. After her funds were mismanaged by her father, leaving her nearly penniless, Temple chose to venture into politics. She was named a U.S. ambassador to Czechoslovakia and Ghana, and she also was the Chief of Protocol in the U.S. for several years.

Retired: 1977 
Unretired: 1987 
Reason: He ran out of money due to an extravagant lifestyle and bad investments 

George Foreman has had a colorful history. The boxer, minister, author, and entrepreneur retired from boxing in 1977 after a successful career. He retired with millions, but that money ran out quickly, thanks to Foreman’s extravagant lifestyle and bad investments. By 1987, he was broke.

George Foreman ©Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock.com

So, that year, he un-retired. Big George competed until 1997, and he was able to restore some of his former fortune. His net worth is $300 million, largely thanks to his entrepreneurship with his George Foreman Grill. The Grill, for which Foreman is the spokesman, has sold more than 100 million units, earning the boxer way more money than he ever made in his pro career.

Retired: 2022 
Unretired: 2022 
Reason: She said the media misunderstood a speech she gave in August of 2022 

Serena Williams is “not retired,” according to a definitive statement she made in October of 2022. Williams is one of the world’s greatest athletes, and people believed that the tennis pro was retiring after a speech she gave in August of 2022. She said she didn’t want to have to choose between tennis and her family, and the media took that and ran with it, assuming she had retired.

Serena Williams ©Jimmie48 Photography/Shutterstock.com

A few months later, Williams cleared up any misconceptions. She announced that, in addition to not being retired, she would be going to the U.S. Open in 2022. It seems that Williams is not done playing—after all, she said she “does not like the word ‘retirement.’”  

Retired: Various, most famously in 2003
Unretired: 2006
Reason: Love for music 

Jay-Z has been a rap legend for decades now, way before his wife Beyonce had even released her first single with Destiny’s Child. The rapper, who is now in his 50s, has enjoyed lucrative success with critically acclaimed albums and number 1 hits across the board. However, that doesn’t mean that he’s always loved the game. 

Jay-Z @jayzz_official/Instagram

Jay-Z has retired from the business several times, most famously in 2003 when he announced that The Black Album would be his final offering. The hype was real, but fans didn’t expect him to come back just 3 years later with 2006’s Kingdom Come. Jay himself admitted it was “the worst retirement, maybe, in history.”