Actress Eva Longoria admitted that she and her family have fled the “dystopian” United States — leaving the homelessness and high taxes of California for a brighter life in Mexico and Spain.
“I had my whole adult life here,” Longoria told Marie Claire. “But even before [the pandemic], it was changing. The vibe was different. And then COVID happened, and it pushed it over the edge. Whether it’s the homelessness or the taxes, not that I want to sh-t on California — it just feels like this chapter in my life is done now.”
While Los Angeles is seemingly no longer her speed, the 49-year-old “Desperate Housewives” star also cited the most recent presidential election as a reason she was confident in her decision to leave.
“The shocking part is not that he won,” she said of former President Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. “It’s that a convicted criminal who spews so much hate could hold the highest office.”
“If he keeps his promises, it’s going to be a scary place,” she said, recalling how depressed she felt following Trump’s 2016 win.
Longoria, who spent the summer volunteering to rally voters for Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, expressed her disillusionment with the US election process.
“It was like, ‘Do my vote really matter? Am I really making a difference?’” she said. “I was so untethered to the core of what I believe because I truly believed in my soul that the best person wins. And then that happened, and I was like, ‘Oh, wait. The best person doesn’t win.’”
Longoria, her husband José Bastón, and their son Santiago, 6, now live between Mexico and Spain.
While she frequently ends up in Europe and South America for work, Longoria does not spend much time in Los Angeles.
The actress-turned-producer and director acknowledged she is “privileged” to be able to leave the country.
“I get to escape and go somewhere,” she said. “Most Americans aren’t so lucky. They’re going to be stuck in this dystopian country, and my anxiety and sadness is for them.”
