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CNN
5 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Everything worth buying ahead of your summer soiree at Home Depot's 4th of July sale
The Home Depot's 4th of July sale is live now through July 9. Summer officially started on Friday, so the home improvement retailer's deals are coming at the most opportune time for those looking to kick off seasonal projects and other DIY tasks around the house. Appliances, patio furniture, grills and more are seeing markdowns of up to 40%, while gardening essentials and ladders are up to 25% off. If you're like me and are eyeing home improvement for holiday hosting, score 20 of my favorite Home Depot deals below. While you're on the hunt for deals, consider checking out our roundup of all the best 4th of July sales too. GE 30 Inch Electric Range in Black Looking for a simple range that'll fit in a variety of kitchen spaces? GE's affordable electric model is hundreds off in this sleek black finish. It features a wide drawer for storage and a smooth surface to make cleaning a breeze. LG Side-By-Side Refrigerator With Instaview Glass in Stainless Steel This luxe refrigerator is over $900 off. The French doors give ample space for meal prep, and the single glass side allows you to display beverages and the like. The stainless is finger-resistant to keep this high-end appliance looking tidy. KitchenAid 24 Inch Dishwasher in Stainless Steel Many consider a dishwasher a luxury, but if you have the space, consider splurging on this KitchenAid model. It's so quiet you won't even realize it's on. It also has over 30 jets for efficient cleaning. LG Electric Oven Range in Black Stainless Steel Black stainless is all the rage lately because its tastefully muted finish adds a bit of depth to drab kitchens. This electric range is equipped with air frying capabilities and a cleaning function that takes 10 minutes to complete. Whirlpool 24 Inch Dishwasher in Stainless Steel We're stoked to see this apartment-sized dishwasher under $450. It has a variety of cycles, including low-sounding options and pre-rinsing settings. While it's a reasonable 24 inches wide, it's deep enough to hold 12 place settings. Traeger Pro Series 22 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker Traeger's iconic pellet grill and smoker combo is matching its low price from Memorial Day. Dishes will come out more flavorful than ever, whether smoking, baking or grilling. It comes with a meat thermometer for precision cooking, and it has 500 square inches of space that can fit tons. Elexnux Portable Electric BBQ Grill If portability is something you're looking for, then you'll love this affordable grill. Take it on your next camping trip, beach day and more, but make sure you have access to an outlet since this indoor-outdoor grill is electric. Weber Genesis E-315 Grill With Full Size Griddle Insert Weber makes some of the best grills ever. Many of our editors, including me, have trusted the brand during summer soirées, backyard barbecues and more. The Genesis E-315 is $150 off, complete with a handy griddle attachment for slinging burgers and dogs. Traeger Ironwood XL Wi-Fi Pellet Grill and Smoker in Black For all of the Traeger converts out there, this smart pellet grill and smoker will instantly level up your grilling routine. It has a whopping 924 inches of grilling space, app compatibility for checking temperaturess on the go and dual-wall construction for even cooking times and more. Napoleon Pro18 Kettle Charcoal Grill If you're seeking out a charcoal grill that'll only cost you a couple of hundred bucks, Napoleon's Pro18 is small but mighty. The all-weather wheels allow you to effortlessly transport it around your yard, campsite and the like. It even has spit rod ports to roast chicken. OrangeOne Linda Outdoor Adirondack Chair Barstool in Black, Set of 2 During Memorial Day, I spotted these elevated Adirondack chairs on sale, and today, the price is back down to $115 a piece, making this an incredible buy ahead of your next gathering. The black finish is fade resistant, and its wide armrests will keep you comfortable for hours on end. Hampton Bay Laurel Oaks Outdoor Patio Dining Set The Home Depot's Spring Black Friday sale brought massive discounts in April. If you missed out on the outdoor furniture deals back then, you're in luck; this patio dining set has returned to just $499. You'll get six chairs and a matching table for almost $200 off. Deko Living Patio Lounge Day Bed Stay cool during this major heatwave with a canopied lounge bed. It'll shield you from those harsh rays, and you'll feel snug in its side-by-side loungers. It typically goes for over $1,000, but during these summer sale events, it's been under $600. Nuu Garden Antique 3-Piece Patio Bistro Set Adding a bistro set to your outdoor patio or even indoor eating area is a total game-changer. If you have minimal space, a petite set like this can give you an area to sip your coffee without taking up too much room. Noble House Rolando Brown Metal Outdoor Table This industrial-inspired table will seamlessly fit into your outdoor patio space. It has a bit of a mid-century modern edge and will arrive before the 4th of July if you order it within the next few days. Ryobi Corded Electric Pressure Washer Get your deck, patio and other outdoor surfaces in tip-top shape with this relatively affordable pressure washer. Ryobi makes reliable power tools and other outdoor gear. We're certain you'll be impressed by this compact cleaning machine. Ryobi Cordless Push Electric Lawn Mower, Leaf Blower & Trimmer Take control over your lawn with this heavily discounted mower, blower and trimmer set. It comes with additional batteries and a charger when you need extra juice. Forget hiring a landscaper because this tool will save you money in the long run. Jackery Explorer 300 Plus Portable Power Station Prepare for an emergency situation or your next electrical outage before it strikes and snag a portable power station. This model from Jackery will usually cost you $300, but this rare deal from The Home Depot takes about $100 off. It weighs under 10 pounds and is a great companion during camping trips. Milwaukee Cordless Electric Blower Blow the competition away with Milwaukee's speedy and quiet cordless blower. It reaches full throttle faster than its counterparts and comes with two batteries and a multi-voltage charger. Gift it to the handy person in your life while it's under $300. Green-Power Portable Generator This EPA-certified multi-fuel generator is $20 away from its lowest price ever. It can run for up to eight and a half hours and has an emergency shut-off feature when oil levels are too low. During the hot days ahead, it can power up smaller appliances, an AC in an RV and tools. Stocking up on outdoor essentials is crucial since summer just started last Friday. This is probably the last time we will see discounts this steep now that we're officially in the season. If you're looking to clean up your outdoor space ahead of the holiday, this is definitely your last chance to do so since these 4th of July deals last throughout the weekend and end on July 9. Our deals team has over a decade of combined commerce journalism experience. Rikka Altland, Jacqueline Saguin and Elena Matarazzo source the deals for the day each morning to curate one-offs and retailer-specific roundups of the best sales to shop. Searching everything from coveted tech essentials to beauty finds of the week, the team works across a wide variety of categories to ensure we're finding the best buys for our readers.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Recovery in Big-Ticket Demand the Key to HD's Next Growth Leg?
Although The Home Depot Inc. HD has seen continued strength in its smaller-scale DIY and maintenance projects like appliances, building materials and lumber, the missing catalyst for sustained top-line acceleration lies in the revival of big-ticket remodel and renovation spend. Home Depot continues to see soft engagement for big-ticket discretionary categories (those exceeding $1,000 in ticket value), such as kitchen and bath remodels, as higher interest rates discouraged financing-dependent projects. A revival in these big-ticket home improvement projects is widely seen as the next inflection point for Home Depot's sales, often a barometer of remodeling demand, grew just 0.3% in first-quarter fiscal 2025. Backed by this slowdown, the company's overall comparable sales (comps) declined 0.3%, with U.S. comps up just 0.2%. Given that big-ticket categories like kitchen, bath and major exterior remodels can represent 10-15% of total ticket sales, even a modest rebound can translate into hundreds of millions in incremental no major improvement expected in interest rates or housing turnover in 2025, the company anticipates continued pressure on big-ticket renovations, such as kitchen and bath remodels. While Pro sales have been strong, the shift in consumer spending toward smaller-scale repairs and maintenance projects suggests that larger project demand may not rebound meaningfully in the near term, limiting growth potential in high-margin Home Depot has been hard at work, positioning itself to capture this spending surge. Through its SRS acquisition and trade-credit rollout, the company offers financing options to thousands of pros, while streamlined digital and in-store lending tools make qualifying for consumer project loans easier. With in-stock rates for building materials and fixtures at record highs, Home Depot is ensuring that when rates soften, it can fulfill large orders without the degree to which big-ticket demand recovers will set the pace for Home Depot's next growth leg. Investors should monitor interest-rate trends, especially any drop below the current 7% mortgage norms, and early signs of increased financed project activity. Sustained acceleration in large-scale remodels can unlock a significant multiplier effect, driving both comp transactions and average ticket size well above the recent levels. D's primary competitors, Lowe's Companies Inc. LOW and Walmart Inc. WMT, are also grappling with headwinds from muted demand in big-ticket categories. Like Home Depot, both retailers are seeing cautious consumer behavior, particularly in discretionary, high-value purchases such as appliances and home big-ticket sales, those above $500, also remained soft in first-quarter fiscal 2025, particularly in appliances and outdoor living, reflecting continued consumer caution on large discretionary purchases. These high-value transactions are significant drivers of Lowe's overall revenues, especially in project-based categories like kitchens, flooring and bathroom remodels. Like Home Depot, Lowe's big-ticket business is closely tied to broader housing trends and interest rate movements. Both retailers rely on a mix of DIY and Pro customers, and are positioned to benefit from a rebound in financed renovation activity. A recovery in big-ticket demand would be a critical tailwind for Lowe's, potentially reigniting comps and supporting its Total Home big-ticket discretionary sales have been soft, particularly in electronics, appliances and home goods, as inflation-sensitive consumers prioritize essentials over discretionary spending. Unlike Home Depot, Walmart's overall business is less dependent on big-ticket items, with a larger portion of its revenues driven by groceries and everyday essentials. However, both companies face similar challenges in the big-ticket space, including cautious consumer sentiment and deferred purchases due to high interest rates. Walmart has responded by sharpening price points and emphasizing value, a strategy that mirrors Home Depot's efforts to maintain competitiveness in large-scale project categories. While big-ticket items make up a smaller share of Walmart's total sales, a rebound in this segment can still provide meaningful upside, particularly for its general merchandise division. HD shares have lost 10.8% year to date compared with the industry's decline of 13.9%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research From a valuation standpoint, Home Depot trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 22.31X, significantly higher than the industry's 19.68X. It has a VGM Score of B. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HD's fiscal 2025 earnings implies a year-over-year decline of 1.3%, whereas its fiscal 2026 earnings estimates indicate year-over-year growth of 9.2%. The estimate for fiscal 2025 has been northbound in the past 30 days, while that for fiscal 2026 EPS has moved south in the same period. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Home Depot currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Walmart Inc. (WMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Home Depot, Inc. (HD) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
The Sun
20-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
I DIY'd a 18ft dream pool in my back garden – it should have cost £40K but I saved a fortune & it looks so good
A SAVVY mum has revealed that rather than break the bank on her dream swimming pool, she decided to DIY it herself. Instead of splashing £40,000 on a deluxe 18ft pool for summer, Natalie Ward, 39, who lives in a detached house in Woking, nabbed bargains from Amazon, Costco, Halfords and even Facebook Marketplace to glam up her garden and create her own luxury chill space. 9 9 9 Now, Natalie has transformed her garden from a muddy patch to a backyard oasis and we think it looks incredibly impressive. The entrepreneurial strategist, who is Managing Director of Embur, a high-quality, affordable activewear brand, spent less than £3,000 on her DIY job - and it won't come as a surprise that her seven-year-old daughter and five-year-old son are obsessed with it. Not only do the other kids from her road come round to enjoy the pool, but it saved her £37,000 by doing it herself and costs less than £1.80 a day to keep it warm too. Now, Natalie has revealed all on her pool transformation to Fabulous, as she explained that while her husband and children gave her a hand during the process, she did the majority of the project herself. Natalie acknowledged that in February 2025, she decided to transform her garden and put in a pool, as she told us: 'I was on holiday in Spain and I watched this lady on Youtube build her own pool. That kind of planted the seed in my head. I was like 'she can do it, surely I can.' 'I spent the best part of 18 months researching all different things - insulation, pumps and heaters. All this stuff. 'If we did the block liner and everything else, we were looking at around £5,000, which we didn't have or didn't want to spend. 'So this seemed like a much more affordable option that wasn't one of the pop-up pools with the poles. We wanted something that was more semi-permanent and could just stay there for the next eight to 10 years. 'Where we live, we know people who've got pools and it costs £30,000 to £40,000, depending on size and whatnot. We've spent under £3,000.' The DIY process As a result of her 'wonky garden', she began by hand digging her space to create a flat area for the pool. Mum shares the £64.99 paddling pool that won't leave you puffed out blowing it up & it's perfect for the warm weather She was then offered a digger to help, which made the process much simpler. Following this, the DIY enthusiast decided to go as deep as she possibly could with the digger, which made the process 'a breeze.' The kids and even young neighbours got involved too, as Natalie highlighted: 'They were excited. They just wanted to dig and make a mess. 'There were points where [children from our road] were grabbing things from the garden and putting them in skips and, you know, trying to earn their swim. 'It was chaos and they loved every second of it.' Natalie and the little ones then got to the water table, which she decided to use as her bottom level of the pool. After this, she put in a gravel board so if she needed to dig out to replace the liner she had a back edge to work from. It took days to make sure everything was level and following this, she laid a ground sheet and 10 packs of Halfords floor mats to help absorb any impact and stop the sand from moving. Next, Natalie covered the bottom with foil insulation to stop it from losing heat through the floor. The following job was to put up the walls, which Natalie described as 'horrendous.' 9 9 Once this was done, Natalie realised she had missed a step, so had to take the walls out and undo the metal cross braces to insert liner covers. Natalie confirmed that she was then able to add in the pool - the Bestway UK Hydrium 18ft x 12ft pool - which she purchased from Costco for £1,500, including delivery. Getting the pool itself in was 'quite straightforward', as she shared: 'Putting it up probably took me four days. It was the prep work that took a load of time. 'It has to be 100% level. That's the bit that takes the time.' Cutting costs Natalie stressed that to keep costs down, she nabbed bargain buys from Amazon and Facebook Marketplace to build her pool area, as she shared: 'We've got insulation around the side of it to act like a hot tub situation that I got off Facebook Marketplace for £250. 'All the aggregates and stuff that went down underneath, we got from builders' merchants. Then the mats and some insulation underneath we got from Amazon. 'The only other extra thing we've got is the heat pump. Because it's a 20,000-litre pool, it needs to be heated. Otherwise, you're never going to use it - it'd be like getting into an ice bath. 9 9 'We've got a 16-kilowatt heat pump on it that I got second-hand on Facebook Marketplace for £400. That was a bit of a bargain.' Keeping costs down was important to Natalie, as she expressed: 'We've done it really smart and obviously done it on a budget. 'Some things are a bit faddish, aren't they? You don't want to spend thousands on something that you might find you don't use or decide isn't worth having. You might want to do something else with the space in five years' time, whatever it is. 'I don't really enjoy spending money. So if I could do it on a budget, why wouldn't I?' A two month process While it didn't cost Natalie anywhere near as much by doing it herself, she confessed that the process wasn't easy. 'It took me two months from start to finish. I work from home so the minute I was done for the day, I was in the garden doing stuff. It was pretty full-on. It's been an absolute delight. The children are home from school, they're straight in the pool Natalie Ward 'I was just doing as much as humanly possible in the time we had available. 'We were really lucky with the weather that actually, when we were doing all this digging, it wasn't raining. If it had been raining, we'd have been in a world of trouble, and it would have taken significantly longer,' she admitted. Not only was Natalie doing the pool project during her evenings, but she also used her weekends too, as she continued: 'If I wasn't working, I was doing the pool. 'It was a huge challenge and I don't think I realised just how big of a job it was until we'd finished. But now it's done, I would 100% do it again.' Making the weather bearable Not only is Natalie, who posts on TikTok under the username @ natalie_ward15, impressed with her pool, but her kids, as well as others in the neighbourhood, can't get enough of it. She beamed: 'It's been an absolute delight. The children are home from school, they're straight in the pool. The children in the road see that the kids are in there and ask, 'Can we come in as well?' It's amazing. 'It's lovely and it's making the weather bearable as well. They're obviously getting to cool down after school. Five ways to keep your kids cool in the heat IT can be really difficult - and costly - to keep kids cool when it's hot outside. But Fabulous Digital Senior Reporter and mum-of-two Sarah Bull shares five ways to help, and they won't break the budget either. Strip them off It might sound simple, but stripping kids off at home can really help them regulate their temperature when it's warm outside. Just remember to regularly apply suncream, as more of their skin will be exposed to the sun. Cool down bedrooms before nighttime When it's hot outside, it can be difficult for kids to go to sleep - especially if their bedroom feels like an oven. If you have a room that's not in direct sunshine, keep the windows open to let in a breeze. It's also a good idea to keep the curtains closed, to prevent the room from heating up. Wear a hat Another simple technique, but one that really works. Make sure that if your kids are playing outside, they've got a hat on. It keeps their face and head shielded from the sun, and also helps if you've got a little one who struggles with bright sunlight. If your tot struggles to keep a hat on, try one with a strap that goes under the chin to help. Avoid the car The car can be one of the hottest places during a heatwave, and often takes a long time to cool down. If you have the option, it's better to stay at home rather than taking kids out anywhere in a hot car. Stay hydrated This is always important, but even more so in a heatwave. Make sure you're regularly reminding your kids to have a drink, and top them up with cool liquids whenever you can. Use ice too to ensure it's as cold as it can possibly be. 'All the kids walk out of school grumpy and miserable, with faces like they've had enough. We get home, they're straight in the pool, and their whole attitude changes. 'They're happy, they're having fun, and they've cooled down quite significantly as well. In this weather it's amazing. 'In a world where kids are attached to screens 24/7, you can't have a screen in a pool. You have to engage, you have to be present, you have to play. 'Having the children at home during half terms means they won't be stuck on a screen. I would much rather they were out playing, having fun, exercising. It's about their quality of childhood as well as the benefit of just having a pool.' Less than £2 a day to run Natalie claimed that her pool costs 'next to nothing' to run, as she acknowledged: 'Our house has solar panels - by utilising that, when we run the pool it costs us next to nothing. 9 9 'The most we've spent in any one day this month is £1.80, and that was a day when we had the dishwasher, tumble dryer, washing machine, and pool all going at the same time. 'The only other thing is the chemicals and treating the water. You buy multifunctional chlorine tablets with everything you need in them, and a five-kilo box costs about £30. I get through one bucket in three months.' Natalie claimed that while she is only paying £30 a month for chlorine tablets, it used to cost her £30 each time to take her family of four to a local swimming pool. As a result, she is 'definitely' saving money in the long run and advised those eager to do the same to simply 'do it'. Parents aren't allowed to take children out of school during term time, holidays aren't always an option, so why not invest in your home and garden? Natalie Ward So if you'd love a similar swimming pool in your back garden and aren't sure where to start, Natalie shared her advice. 'Join pool groups on different social media channels and learn from people who've already done it. 'Everyone's got things they would potentially do differently or things to take into consideration. Do your research before you start digging and before you buy the pool. 'The cost of the pool is one of the cheapest parts. It's the heating and the groundwork that then costs more,' she stressed. Not only this, but Natalie also advised: 'Our summers are getting hotter, the cost of going abroad is increasing. Parents aren't allowed to take children out of school during term time, holidays aren't always an option. 'So why not invest in your home and garden? Holiday at home, take the week off work, and enjoy it.'
Wall Street Journal
19-06-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Home Depot Bid Kicks Off a Battle for $5 Billion Building-Products Company
Home Depot HD -0.50%decrease; red down pointing triangle has made an offer for building-products distributor GMS GMS 10.61%increase; green up pointing triangle, kicking off a potential bidding war between the home-improvement giant and serial dealmaker Brad Jacobs, according to people familiar with the matter. The exact price Home Depot has privately discussed paying for GMS couldn't be determined.
Buzz Feed
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
16 Celebrities Who Quit Being Famous
Recently, Reddit user u/fulthrottlejazzhands asked, "Who is a celebrity that gave it all up at the height of fame to go live a 'normal' life?" Here's a look at what these former (and not so former) actors got up to after they left Hollywood: After playing Hilary from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Karyn Parsons co-created her own sitcom, Lush Life, but it was soon canceled. She eventually moved to New York, where she studied filmmaking, met her husband, and started a family. She told Vice, "My interests were changing. It became very difficult to do everything, to memorize lines for a part and have to get someone to last-minute watch the kids — to race across town and do all that, and if you got a call back, do it again. I'd find myself dropping the ball a lot." In 2005, following her acting career, Parsons founded Sweet Blackberry, a nonprofit that teaches kids about the lesser-known aspects of Black history. She said, "When I was pregnant with my daughter, that's when I started really thinking about what are they going to teach her in school, and what am I supposed to teach her? How do I supplement her education as a parent? As I was talking a lot about Black history and stories that you don't hear about, my husband was like, 'You need to do this.'" Suggested by caseyrackham '90s teen heartthrob Jonathan Taylor Thomas left his role on Home Improvement before the series ended, deciding instead to focus on his education at Columbia, Harvard, and St. Andrew's University. Though he returned to acting a few years later, in 2013, he once again disappeared from the public eye. JTT told People, "I'd been going nonstop since I was 8 years old. I wanted to go to school, to travel, and have a bit of a sit in a big library amongst books and students — that was pretty cool. It was a novel experience for me." Suggested by u/painandpets Erik Per Sullivan, who played Dewey on Malcolm in the Middle for seven seasons, left acting for good in 2010. After attending the University of Southern California, he's now a graduate student studying Victorian Literature. Jane Kaczmarek, who played his onscreen mother, recently reflected on the former actor: "He's very, very well. He did Malcolm for seven years. He started at 7; he ended at 14. He wasn't interested in acting at all." Suggest by u/WestCoastWaster Similarly, Malcolm in the Middle and Agent Cody Banks star Frankie Muniz also stepped away from acting, saying, "When I was on Malcolm, I was just so excited to be working on a show, but also in that same sense, when the show ended, I kind of left the business for a little bit. I started doing other things. I was racing cars. I joined a band." However, since taking a break from acting in 2006, Muniz is now set to return to Hollywood for a four-episode reboot of Malcolm in the Middle on Disney+. Suggest by u/enters_and_leaves Good Luck Charlie and Lemonade Mouth actor Bridgit Mendler traded in Hollywood for a Master's degree from MIT and a Doctor of Law degree from Harvard. She now works in the space industry as the CEO of her startup Northwood Space, which aims "to build satellite ground stations that are designed with mass production and customer flexibility first in mind." As she announced on social media, Mendler and her husband are also the parents of a 5-year-old son. She wrote, "Started fostering in 2021, adopted near Christmas of 2022. I'm so lucky—being a parent is the biggest gift and most defining experience there is." Suggested by u/shortstack3000 In 1997, following Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, comedian Rick Moranis stepped away from acting to focus on his two children after his wife, Anna, died from breast cancer. Although he's said it wasn't a "formal decision" to retire, he hasn't been seen on the big screen in several decades. In 2015, Moranis told The Hollywood Reporter, "I took a break, which turned into a longer break. But I'm interested in anything that I would find interesting. I still get the occasional query about a film or television role...I was working with really interesting people, wonderful people [in Hollywood]. I went from that to being at home with a couple of little kids, which is a very different lifestyle. But it was important to me. I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. My life is wonderful." Suggested by u/Lostfroggy25 Disney star Kay Panabaker retired from acting in 2012, following roles in Summerland and Cyber Bully. Though she already had a degree in history from UCLA, she decided to go back to school and entered an 18-month animal program at Santa Fe College in Florida. Following that, she was hired as a zookeeper at Disney's Animal Kingdom. In 2016, she responded to a fan who asked her why she quit acting and said, "I just lost the love for acting. Life is short, we spend so much time at work, gotta do what you love :) and I love my job!!" Suggested by caseyrackham If you can believe it, Peter Ostrum, the actor who played Charlie in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, left the entertainment industry and became a dairy veterinarian. According to Ostrum, he stopped acting because "being in the film industry as a child was hard." In 2011, he told Hollywood Chicago, "In the end, leaving was the right decision. ... I don't have any regrets at all." Suggest by u/AardvarkStriking256 Erik von Detten, aka the '90s and '00s Disney star of The Princess Diaries and Brink! fame, eventually left acting behind and went into finance. He said to E! Online, "At that time, we didn't have Netflix and all these expanded options with thousands and thousands of roles. I would literally go for a length of time without any roles that I fit the bill for. I mean, you're either in the very top half a percent doing very well or, just very competitive." He said, "Since I was a kid, I wanted to have a large family. And, in Los Angeles, that requires a consistent, realistic income. So, the fickle nature of employment as an actor just wasn't consistent enough for me." Suggested by u/reader_of_lips Jennifer Stone, who played Harper on Wizards of Waverly Place, left acting behind and is now a registered nurse. In an Instagram post celebrating World Health Day in 2020, Stone announced that she was joining the "front lines" of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. She said, "A very good friend of out to me that today is #worldhealthday. It is also the day I went from a volunteer, then a student nurse, and now an RN resident. I just hope to live up to all of the amazing healthcare providers on the front lines now as I get ready to join them." Suggested by caseyrackham Though he hasn't left the spotlight entirely, Vampire Diaries star Ian Somerhalder officially retired from acting in 2019. Since stepping away, Somerhalder has focused on raising his kids on a farm with wife Nikki Reed, starting companies, and producing documentaries that focus on how "regenerative farming and improving the world's soil can help combat climate change." In a 2024 interview, Somerhalder said, 'I loved what I did for a really long time. I don't miss any of it. I love making films. I just did it for so long. We had an amazing run.' Suggested by u/UnkindnessOfRavens23 Rick Astley of "Never Gonna Give You Up" fame might be back in the spotlight now with new music, but the singer took a hefty 30-year-long break from the music industry when he was only 27. According to ITV, Astley's sudden retirement was prompted by burnout. In a 2023 interview, Astley spoke about his first music stint saying, "I didn't love the world of pop music, to be honest, because what I dreamed it was and what I wanted it to be, it kind of wasn't." Suggested by u/Separate-Passion-949 Entourage's Adrian Grenier, who left California for Texas, revealed that he stepped away from acting to focus on raising his family and connecting with nature. In an interview on Today with Hoda and Jenna, he said, "I was flying high for many years, two decades in Hollywood and growing up in New York, but I live a much more grounded life now. I decided I was going to live closer to nature and to commit to my wife and have a family and have a child, which I'm so excited about.' Though the actor says he isn't completely retired from acting, it would have to be a special project for him to head back to Hollywood. He said, "I'm only really taking roles that are aligned with my dharma and that I can be proud of because I want my kid to watch whatever I do and be proud of his dad." Suggested by u/JordanBelfort0 Phoebe Cates, of Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Gremlins fame, left acting in the mid-'90s after marrying fellow actor Kevin Kline. Though she did make a small appearance in a 2001 movie as a favor to Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kline told Playboy magazine that the couple "agreed to alternate so that we're never working at the same time … [but] whenever it's been her slot to work, Phoebe has chosen to stay with the children." In addition to motherhood, Cates also owns and operates the Blue Tree boutique in New York City. Suggested by u/CokBlockinWinger Former child actor Shirley Temple announced her retirement in 1950 at the age of only 22 because she "had enough of pretend." She eventually got married and pursued a political career in Washington, DC, most notably as a US ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia. Suggested by caseyrackham In 2000, Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire star Mara Wilson left acting to focus on writing. In 2016, she told NPR, "There wasn't like one big moment where I knew I was done. ... The rejection hurt because it had been just such a prominent part of my life for so long. It had been the thing that defined me. I remember in college, I would sleep through my acting classes — I would self-sabotage — because I was so afraid to let people see me as an actor. ... I was terrified; I was frozen with fear. That's when I started focusing more on writing. Writing I'd always loved." In 2016, Wilson went on to write a book about her life, titled Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame. In 2023, she wrote another book titled Good Girls Don't, which is "a coming-of-age memoir that bravely examines both the friendships Wilson formed as a child actor in Hollywood and the complex family relationships that shaped her." Suggested by u/HappyCuppiccino
