A top comedian has revealed that he is leaving California over fears about Governor Gavin Newsom’s liberal policies, making him the latest A-lister to flee the state.
Jeff Dye told The Joe Rogan Experience that he planned to move to Texas due to growing concerns about the direction Governor Newsom was taking the state.
‘I’m kind of in this kind of LA thing, and I could be guilty of being a victim of what I’m absorbing in my algorithm. But Gavin Newsom scares the s*** out of me and I don’t want to be a part of it,’ Dye said.
The 42-year-old Comedy Central comic added that the state’s response to the devastating fires that left nothing but ashes in parts of LA in January was an additional reason he was packing his bags.
‘Those fires were quite a wake-up call,’ he said. ‘Even if, you know, whatever you believe about the fires, the way it was dealt with was pretty scary.’
Rogan, who left LA for Austin in 2020, explained: ‘When the shit started getting weird in LA and they were burning cop cars on the freeway, that’s when daddy was like I got to get out of here.
‘My kids were little, 10 and 12 at the time. I thought, “This is dangerous,” and we all agreed it just doesn’t feel right. I don’t feel like they’re gonna open this up. I think this is bulls***. Let’s get the f*** out of here.’
Rogan spearheaded the migration to the new comedy mecca of Austin with the launch of his club, the Comedy Mothership.
Jeff Dye revealed on The Joe Rogan Experience on November 2 that he planned to move to Texas due to growing concerns about the direction Governor Newsom was CaliforniaÂ
The 42-year-old comedian added that the state’s response to the devastating fires that left nothing but ashes in parts of LA in January was a contributing factorÂ
Multiple superstar comics have also set up camp in the Lone Star State, including Shane Gillis and Tony Hinchcliffe, who helped the podcaster lead the way.
Over 817,000 people left California from 2021 to 2022, according to recent census data cited by Business Insider.
During the podcast, celebrities who had promised to leave the US if President Donald Trump were elected to a second term were slammed.
‘They go, “I’m going to move.” They make those kinds of threats,’ Dye said.
‘Some people do move,’ Rogan replied.
‘Yeah, some people do,’ Dye agreed. ‘I respect Rosie [O’Donnell] and Ellen [DeGeneres] for that.’
Ellen confirmed she left the US because of President Trump in a candid new interview with broadcaster Richard Bacon.
Joe Rogan, left LA for Austin in 2020, explained: ‘When the shit started getting weird in LA and they were burning cop cars on the freeway, that’s when daddy was like I got to get out of here’
Ellen DeGeneres confirmed she left the US because of President Trump in an interview
During the podcast, celebrities who had promised to leave the US if President Donald Trump were elected to a second term were slammed
The comedian and long-time television host now lives in the Cotswolds in England with her wife, Portia de Rossi, and has revealed that they are staying there for good now, following Trump’s return to power.
She said she and Portia – who first wed in 2008 – were considering tying the knot again in the UK after some moves in the US to reverse the right to gay marriage.
Other celebrities have taken a less drastic approach, simply relocating to different parts of the country, such as Matthew McConaughey, Glen Powell, and Sylvester Stallone, among many others who have left in recent years for various reasons.
Notably, in 2020, Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and SpaceX, relocated to Texas after a dispute with lawmakers.
Musk, who had lived in California for almost two decades, said the state has become ‘complacent’ when it comes to innovation.
‘They do tend to get a little complacent, a little entitled, and then they don’t win the championship anymore,’ he told the Wall Street Journal.
Musk claimed that California – and, in particular, Silicon Valley – ‘has been winning for a long time’.
‘I think they’re taking it [winning] for granted a little bit,’ he added.
