Summary
- Lindsay Lohan's early fame led to a troubled career due to her reputation for being late, rude, and unprofessional.
- Lindsay moved to Dubai for privacy, as paparazzi are illegal there, and she's enjoyed the calmness and freedom from cameras.
- Lindsay Lohan currently lives in a four-bedroom villa in Dubai, where she has created a home, launched a beauty brand, and continues to work in acting.
Early in her career, Lindsay Lohan seemed to be a promising up-and-comer. Only a few years in, she and her Mean Girls co-star Amanda Seyfried shared their woes over imposter syndrome, all while becoming more famous than they ever anticipated.
But eventually, life changed for Lindsay. Years later, she wound up living in Dubai, married, and even becoming a mom.
What drove Lindsay Lohan to move to Dubai, and where does she live now? Let's dive in.
Updated March 2024: Since moving to Dubai years ago, Lindsay Lohan has no plans to leave. She has put down roots with her husband, Bader Shammas and son, Luai and loves the community around her there. But that does not mean Lohan does not come back to the US. Just days before St. Patrick's Day, Lohan was in Los Angeles promoting her Netflix film, 'Irish Wish'. And with another film expected to be released in 2024, Lohan will be spending more time in the US as she works to resurrect her acting career.
Early Fame Led To A Troubled Career For Lindsay Lohan
Too much success too fast, put Lindsay Lohan's career into a tailspin
Via: Instar
Most fans recall that Lindsay Lohan had a quick rise to fame thanks to films like The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday, and Mean Girls. But just as quickly, things went sour for the starlet. She developed a reputation for being late, rude, and unprofessional, and her relationships made headlines more than her acting work did.
Things got so bad that Tina Fey and Lorne Michaels even staged an intervention backstage during Lindsay's SNL appearance.
Eventually, thankfully, Lindsay did 'clean up' her act and overhaul her image. Yet it took completely removing herself from Hollywood to do it.
Why Lindsay Lohan Moved To Dubai
Lindsay Lohan moved to Dubai because "paparazzi is illegal"
When Lindsay Lohan moved to Dubai, fans weren't sure what to think. Why would a rich, troubled young star opt to leave her home country and move to Dubai, of all places?
At first, Lindsay up and moved to New York from the West Coast. She also spent some time in London. Then, she drifted to Turkey, she explained in an interview with W Magazine. While she might have had a team with her, Lindsay elaborated that she was alone, "switched off everyone" in her life, and "threw" herself into understanding life in Turkey.
Of the experience, she said,
"No one even knew that I was there until I had gone already, which was the best part. That was a leap of faith, and a blessing in disguise. It changes people, especially when you go alone."
As with Turkey, Lindsay had no family or friends in Dubai, yet she still moved her entire life overseas. Ultimately, she seemed happy enough there and eventually met her husband while out of the country.
Her initial motivation for moving to Dubai, as it turns out, is pretty relatable. As one journalist who sat down with Lindsay for hours while she was visiting from Dubai summed up that Lindsay is "so private that she moved to Dubai because paparazzi are illegal there."
It might not be that drastic, but Lohan's motivation for moving out of the U.S. was closely tied to her desire for privacy.
Discussing her adopted home with W Magazine, Lindsay explained, "There’s a certain calmness that I find there. There’s no paparazzi, no cameras; that’s a big deal for me."
She wasn't bothered by paparazzi attention, necessarily, but disliked that a single photograph (such as one of her sneezing) could be misconstrued as something else (like crying). In Dubai, Lohan admitted she can "appreciate having the life where I can just go outside and not have to worry."
Where Is Lindsay Lohan Living Now?
Lindsay Lohan continues to live life in Dubai today
As of a June 2023 interview where she invited a journalist into her home for a chat, Lindsay Lohan still lives in Dubai, in a "four-bedroom villa overlooking Kite Beach." It's her "family home" per Lindsay, and features a clean but comfortable environment filled with "accessories and artwork" Lohan herself has collected "from her travels across the world."
Not only does Lindsay love her home, but she loves her local community, too. Contrary to what many people might think about Dubai, Lindsay says it's a "a very big place for female activists. It’s a whole different world, which is really cool. It’s a place you think women don’t have as much of a right to be themselves, but they actually have more than you’d imagine."
In addition to creating a home base in her cozy villa, Lindsay Lohan also got down to business in Dubai. She launched a beauty brand, began designing clothing, and continues to travel for acting work—including to Saudi Arabia for an all-female movie and to Britain for a sitcom with Rupert Grint.
Despite being so far away, Lindsay hasn't lost touch with her celebrity friends, specifically Jamie Lee Curtis, who she's been close with ever since Freaky Friday. She and Jamie Lee are quite close to this day, but Lindsay hasn't let go of other connections, either.
Lohan said she's stayed friends with Jane Fonda, Felicity Huffman, and "a lot of amazing women" who have "graced" her path. Fortunately, that means Lindsay had built-in support when her son Luai arrived in July 2023.
By all accounts, Lindsay seems to be planning to stay put in Dubai as she grows her family, though she will likely continue to host family and friends, as she has done ever since she moved overseas.
