Lindsay Lohan reveals sad reason why she fled US with her son

Lindsay Lohan shared the reason for her big move away from the US as she rejoins American media interviews after a long break from the industry.

The actress, who has been acting since she was a wee girl, has been in a whole catalogue of films in the last three decades.

From The Parent Trap to Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Lindsay Lohan has just about shaped many of our childhoods.

So, it was a sad time when she stopped acting, having her last notable role in Life Size 2, in 2018 before appearing on our Netflix recommendations in 2022, and 2024 with her seasonal romances.

While her 2000s fame was immense, it seems as though she’s enjoying more of a slow pace now.

Coupled with the fact she left the US in 2014 to live in Dubai, it’s just not been the same not seeing her around anymore.

Lindsay Lohan moved from the US in 2014 (Instagram/@lindsaylohan)

Now that she’s reappeared on our screens to promote her new Freaky Friday continuation, Freakier Friday, we’re coming to learn more about why she chose to move away and live the quiet life.

The actress revealed that it was all to do with her privacy.

After appearing on Live with Kelly and Mark, the star told Kelly Ripa that there are some major differences between Dubai and the US - specifically, the privacy laws.

Considering how much negative tabloid attention she would get back in the 2000s, it’s not hard to see why she’d want to leave the country.

She said during the show: “It’s just far away from Hollywood, and I live a very normal life.”

Ripa went on to ask whether there were photographers there, to which Lohan shocked her when she said that it’s just not something that Dubai allows.

“No, it’s not legal,” Lohan said. “You can’t even take a picture of someone else if you’re at a restaurant. You have to ask the person, which is a big difference from here.”

“What? That’s incredible!” Ripa said.

Lohan added: “Yeah, privacy is key.”

The 39-year-old actress lives in Dubai with her financier husband, Bader Shammas, who she wedded in in 2022 before welcoming their 2-year-old son, Luai, in 2023.

She welcomed a son in 2023 (Aeon/GC Images)

As for her life in the US, previous interviews reveal how she felt about the mounting pressure put on her to be perfect.

“I could do 99 things right and one thing wrong, but it’s that one thing that will be focused on,” she told Paper magazine in 2018.

“Behind the scenes, I do what I can to be the best version of me, which never gets mentioned,” she said. “I am also human. I make mistakes. That’s all that seems to get reported.”

As of right now, she’s taking part in her press tour for Disney’s Freaky Friday sequel.

The iconic movie, led by Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, is set to return on August 8, 2025, in American cinemas, marking over two decades since the initial release of Freaky Friday in 2003.

The first film followed Anna (Lohan), a rebel teen, who switched bodies with her mother Tess (Curtis).

In the reboot, Chad Michael Murray is set to return in order to reprise his role as Anna’s love interest, Jake.

Mark Harmon, Christina Vidal Michell, Haley Hudson, Lucille Soong, Stephen Tobolowsky and Rosalind Chao will also return.