Why Actress Katherine Heigl Left L.A. for Utah: ‘Family Comes First’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Katherine Heigl is opening up about why she moved her family from Los Angeles to Utah several years ago.
Heigl married singer Josh Kelley in 2007. The couple adopted daughters Naleigh, 14, and Adelaide, 10, and had a son Joshua, 6.
“I didn’t know how to raise them in L.A.,” Heigl said of her kids. “So I felt like I could do it here. I could be more on top of things that scare me, and I could be more on top of the kinds of friends they have and places they’re going, the kind of activities they’re involved in—and what…they’re doing on their phones!”
The family moved to a ranch outside of Park City, Utah, in 2010, where they have eight dogs, three cats, chickens, goats, horses and other animals.
“I could kind of decompress and let that hustle part of me go — a little bit,” the actress said of the family’s Utah home. “I don’t know that in any career you can ever completely stop hustling, but being able to separate it a little bit and choose those times of hustle versus just being in it constantly was really important to me.”
Heigl also shared that her children love life on the ranch.
“They are really content to stand at the river and throw rocks in and feed the chickens,” she shared. “Naleigh is good at feeding the horses and holding out the hay, though she won’t get on [a horse].”
The actress explained that the move to Utah has also helped her reprioritize things in her life. While working on GREY’S ANATOMY, Heigl said her heavy workload caused her priorities to get “messed up.”
“I was putting so much time and energy into just my work, but I was raised that family comes first,” Heigl shared. “Utah is spectacularly beautiful, the people are wonderful and kind, it’s an easy commute from L.A. — and there’s no traffic!”
Heigl isn’t the only celebrity who has left Los Angeles for another city. Movieguide® previously reported on Danica McKellar’s move to Tennessee:
Danica McKellar is one of many stars who have chosen to leave Hollywood. The actress recently revealed that she and her family have settled in rural Tennessee.
“My husband and I have been wanting more nature for a long time. We were kind of ready to not be in a city anymore,” she explained. McKellar, her husband Scott, her son Draco, and her mother have all moved to a town about an hour outside of Nashville.
She originally decided on Tennessee after filming a movie there. McKellar also said that the music and creative scene of Nashville attracted her to the area.
“For me, honestly, it’s mostly about the backyard,” the actress went on, describing the “gold and pink and orange and red” foliage in her new home.
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