It’s safe to say that the 2016 US presidential election was the most electrifying, divisive and headline-grabbing election in history. Both Clinton and Trump focused a lot of their campaigns on criticising each other and when it came down to it, even though Clinton won the popular vote and was expected to win the presidency, she failed to win as many electoral votes as Trump. Many celebrities got in on the action and some of those who sided with Clinton were so outraged at the prospect of a Trump presidency that they declared they would move out of the US if the billionaire businessman were to become president. Some said they would move to Canada, causing Canadians to react with outrage, saying they wouldn’t welcome a bunch of rich celebrities moving just because they were unhappy with an election result. So, here are six celebs who said they would do just that, but have any of them moved yet and do any of them actually intend to move at all?
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Chelsea Handler
Chelsea actually went a step further than the others on this list and, by her own admission back in May, bought a house in another country just in case Trump won. She acknowledged that people were threatening to leave the country and probably wouldn’t, but said that she would actually leave the country. However, since the result was announced, she said her staff reminded her that leaving the country would in fact be ‘quitting’; her staff also reminded her that she had responsibilities in the US and that she needs to remain in the US to continue using her voice to reach out to people.
2. Bryan Cranston
The Breaking Bad actor thought Trump would never win the election and said he would move if the renegade candidate won the presidency. He said ‘I would definitely move. It’s not real to me that that would happen. I hope to God it won’t’. But since the election, he tweeted that though he’s shocked and disappointed by the outcome, he hopes Trump will ‘unify our country’ and he wishes him success – it doesn’t sound like he plans to move to Canada any more.
3. Miley Cyrus
Miley claimed in an Instagram post that she would be moving if Trump became her president and that she doesn’t say things she doesn’t mean. However, shortly after the result was announced she posted a somewhat tearful Facebook message in which she said she accepts Trump as president and she hopes Trump will treat all people with respect and compassion. At the time of writing, she hasn’t made it clear whether she still plans to move or not.
4. Whoopi Goldberg
An avid Clinton supporter disgusted at the idea of Trump as president, Whoopi said that if Trump won, ‘maybe it’s time for me to move, you know. I can afford to go’. She never formally announced plans to leave the US, but did strongly hint she would think of leaving if Trump became president. The day after the result was announced, she insisted she would be staying in the US and said no one has the right to tell her to leave the country if she doesn’t want to.
5. Amy Schumer
Amy was so aghast at the thought of Trump becoming president that she said she’d move to Spain and would learn Spanish so she could continue her comedy routine. She has since said that her pledge to move was in fact all a joke and has criticised those who are telling her to pack her bags and stick to her word, saying they’re just as bad as the ‘racist, homophobic, openly disrespectful woman abuser’ that got elected president.
6. Lena Dunham
Lena was a vociferous Clinton supporter and even cried in the shower after Trump’s win was announced, but despite saying she’d move to Vancouver, Canada. In fact, she said ‘I know a lot of people have been threatening to do this, but IÂ really will. I know a lovely place in Vancouver’. Despite initially claiming she’d move, she’s since shot down these claims and has fought back against those who have slammed her on social media for going back on her words.