Why George and Amal Clooney secured French citizenship to raise their children away from Hollywood

George Clooney and his family have officially become French citizens, formalizing their connection to the nation where they have set up an initial residence, according to government records. The Clooneys, that includes Amal Clooney and their twins Alexander and Ella, have expressed a preference for privacy and normalcy for their children, away from the intense spotlight of Hollywood.

Official Naturalization Announcement

The Journal Officiel issued a notice of all recent naturalizations, including Clooney, his wife Amal Clooney, and their twins, Alexander and Ella.

Clooney, who also has a U.S. citizenship, and Amal, a British-Lebanese human rights lawyer, are already well-acquainted with life in France. While the family maintains homes in England and near Clooney’s relatives in Kentucky, their main residence is a farm in France.

Clooney on Choosing a Family-Friendly Life in France

“Growing up in Kentucky, all I wanted to do was get away from a farm, get away from that life,” Clooney told the New York Times in February. “Now I find myself back in that life. I drive a tractor and all those things. It’s the best chance of a normal life.”

He reiterated similar sentiments in an October Esquire interview:

“I was worried about raising our kids in LA, in the culture of Hollywood,” Clooney stated. “I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life. France – they kind of don’t give a sh*t about fame,” he cited.

“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,” he mentioned. Clooney has consistently stressed privacy challenges for his family, having penned an open letter in 2021 urging media outlets to keep his children’s faces out of the press for safety purposes.

French Privacy Laws Protect Celebrities

France has robust privacy safeguards. It is illegal to capture individuals in private spaces or reveal personal details such as home addresses or phone numbers. Publishing photos of celebrities in public is only permitted if the appearance pertains to their public role.

When paparazzi try to photograph celebrities in their private moments, “the celebrity’s security or assistant will take a picture or video of the paparazzi,” litigation attorney Chassen Palmer described in a 2020 article for the California Western International Law Journal.

“Later, the picture and/or video are sent to the celebrity’s attorney, and the local media outlets are informed that the celebrity will seek civil damages if the photograph or video is published,” he further added, citing that this policy has “largely deterred taking photographs of celebrities out in public.”

FAQs:

Q1. Why did the Clooneys seek French citizenship?
They desired for a safe and private environment for their children. France provides stronger privacy protections than Hollywood.

Q2. Who in the Clooney family received French citizenship?
George, Amal, and their twins Alexander and Ella were naturalized. The whole family is now officially French citizens.