Why George Clooney Decided To Raise His Kids On A Farm In France

Despite being the offspring of very prominent parents, George and Amal Clooney's two kids haven't been in the immediate spotlight since their birth in 2017. For that reason, people often wondered what ever happened to the Clooney twins. As it turns out, they are far from Hollywood, the town where their father made a name for himself. Indeed, the "Ocean's Eleven" star revealed that he is raising his son, Alexander, and daughter, Ella, in rural France. "You know, we live on a farm in France," he told Esquire in October 2025. "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 them, it's like — they're not on their iPads, you know?" The secluded lifestyle brings the actor ease, knowing his children won't be exposed to a high-profile life in Los Angeles — where he lived for nearly three decades.

Of all the parenting mistakes Clooney regrets, moving his family to Europe is not one of them. "I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life," he said of living in Hollywood. "France — they kind of don't give a sh** about fame." Of course, the Clooney family's French countryside lifestyle isn't as humbly rustic as you might imagine; they live on a 425-acre estate, which Clooney and Amal purchased in 2021 for $8.3 million. Still, the "ER" actor tries to give his children a sense of "normalcy," which includes driving them to school every day, per the Daily Mail. Clooney told the outlet that he also bars his children from coming to set, explaining, "I don't want them to think we're too pampered."

Although the family resides far away from Hollywood, George Clooney's fame isn't a secret to Alexander and Ella Clooney. "They have some idea," he told E! News. However, Clooney's abandoning Hollywood hasn't exactly made him unrecognizable. "My kid came up to me the other day and said, 'Papa what's "famous?" Somebody in my class said you're famous.' I said, 'Tell that kid I'm very famous.'" As for whether his twins will pursue their own careers in the spotlight, Clooney can't gauge that quite yet. "They're very funny kids, and they love to get up and sing. But you know, I hope they do exactly what they want to do in life, and that's all you can hope for."

It seemed like Clooney had everything by his 50s: two Academy Awards, a gorgeous and über-intelligent wife, and the title of "Sexiest Man Alive," according to People. But what he didn't expect was that his life would be rounded out once he became a father at 56. During a 2021 appearance on "Today," he told Hoda Kotb that his children gave him "a sense of belonging and a sense of home and unconditional love — all the things that you were hoping you could get from a really good career and a dog. You realize that this is a lot more than that." He added that meeting and falling in love with Amal Clooney (née Alamuddin) helped him understand that as well.