George Clooney says he is now based in France and his children have a “much better life” being raised there than Los Angeles.

“They have a much better life. I was worried about raising our kids in LA, in the culture of Hollywood.

I felt like they were never going to get a… pic.twitter.com/uFqJjlwFw8

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) October 8, 2025

An Investigative Report and Unexpected Consequences

George Clooney’s recent comments about relocating his family to France paint an idyllic picture of escape from Hollywood’s glare. But a closer examination of what the Clooney children might actually encounter in their new home reveals a more complicated reality that celebrity parents rarely discuss publicly.

George Clooney says his children have a ‘much better life’ being raised in France than LA
The actor said that their French farm will be free of paparazzi, teach them self-sufficiency and let them see his handyman skills, such as fixing the coffee machine.

George Clooney has said that his decision to base himself in France was informed by the desire to give his children a better start in life than if they had remained in the US.

The actor, 64, who has eight-year-old twins, Ella and Alexander, with his wife, the human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, gave a lengthy interview to US Esquire magazine while staying at his Italian villa on Lake Como.

“We live on a farm in France,” he said. “A good portion of my life growing up was on a farm, and as a kid I hated the whole idea of it. But now, for [the twins], it’s like – they’re not on their iPads, you know? They have dinner with grownups and have to take their dishes in.

“They have a much better life. I was worried about raising our kids in LA, in the culture of Hollywood. I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life. France – they kind of don’t give a shit about fame. I don’t want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don’t want them being compared to somebody else’s famous kids.”

The Myth of European Anonymity

Clooney suggests his children will somehow fly under the radar in France, protected from the pressures of fame. This narrative ignores several uncomfortable truths. France’s paparazzi culture is notoriously aggressive—Princess Diana died fleeing French photographers in Paris. French celebrity magazines like Closer and Voici have faced numerous lawsuits for invasive coverage, including publishing topless photos of Kate Middleton and intimate images of François Hollande.

The Clooneys don’t live in some remote French village. Their reported residence near Lake Como’s French border and properties in Provence place them squarely in tourist-heavy, celebrity-spotting territory. The notion that French citizens “don’t give a sh*t about fame” crumbles when you consider France’s massive celebrity culture, from its obsession with fashion week to its own constellation of film stars and public figures.

The Integration Illusion

What Clooney frames as protection from comparison to “somebody else’s famous kids” may actually translate to something far more isolating. American celebrity children raised in France face unique challenges:

Language and cultural barriers can create profound isolation. Unless the Clooney twins become fluent French speakers and culturally French—a tall order for children who will inevitably travel frequently and maintain American connections—they’ll always be outsiders. French schools are notoriously rigorous and conformist; they don’t typically accommodate the irregular schedules of children whose parents are international celebrities.

The international school bubble offers an alternative, but it’s hardly the egalitarian environment Clooney implies. Elite international schools in France attract the children of diplomats, executives, and yes, other celebrities and wealthy families. The Clooney children would still be among the privileged few, just with different accents.

Security Theater and Gilded Cages

France has experienced significant terrorism and security concerns in recent years, from the 2015 Paris attacks to the Nice truck attack. While Los Angeles certainly has its security issues, the Clooney family’s high profile in France—particularly George’s political activism and associations—could make them targets in a different way.

The irony is palpable: Clooney wants his children to have a “normal” life, yet achieving even basic security in France will likely require the same bodyguards, secure compounds, and restricted movements that would be necessary in LA. The difference is mainly aesthetic—a French villa instead of a Hollywood mansion.

The American Education Gap

French education, while respected, operates on an entirely different system from American schooling. If the Clooney children eventually want to attend American universities—which seems likely given their parents’ connections and their own citizenship—they’ll face the challenge of translating French credentials, potentially taking additional exams, and explaining years abroad.

More significantly, they’ll miss the cultural touchstones that shape American identity. They won’t have the same pop culture references, political awareness, or social experiences as their American peers. When they eventually engage with American media or public life—and as Clooneys, they almost certainly will—they may find themselves culturally adrift in their own country.

The Hypocrisy of Hollywood Exile

Perhaps most troubling is the fundamental contradiction in Clooney’s position. He built his fortune, fame, and platform in Hollywood. He continues to work in the American entertainment industry. His wealth and influence stem directly from the system he now criticizes.

Removing his children from LA while continuing to benefit from Hollywood reads less like principled parenting and more like having it both ways—enjoying the perks while avoiding the complications. It’s a luxury available only to the ultra-wealthy, and it sends a troubling message: America’s cultural capital is good enough to make billions from, but not good enough to raise children in.

The Privilege of Escape

Ultimately, Clooney’s decision highlights extraordinary privilege rather than sound judgment. Most parents don’t have the option to decamp to France when they find their local environment challenging. They stay and work to improve their communities, advocate for better schools, or find ways to instill strong values despite external pressures.

The Clooney children will grow up knowing their parents found America lacking and fled. They’ll be raised in a bubble every bit as rarified as Beverly Hills, just with better cheese and wine. They’ll face language barriers, cultural displacement, potential security risks, and the eventual confusion of reconciling their French childhood with their American heritage and inevitable public profile.

France isn’t a solution to the challenges of raising children in the spotlight—it’s just a different set of challenges with better PR. Clooney’s comments reveal less about the superiority of French child-rearing and more about celebrity parents’ endless quest to find somewhere, anywhere, that their money and fame won’t complicate their children’s lives.

That place doesn’t exist—not in Los Angeles, not in France, and not anywhere else. The Clooney children’s challenges will follow them wherever they go, because those challenges aren’t geographical. They’re existential, rooted in who their parents are and what that means in our modern world.

What Clooney presents as an escape is really just a displacement. And the children, ultimately, will pay the price for their parents’ illusions about what a change of scenery can solve.