It’s hard to imagine a celebrity disappearing from the spotlight without a trace, right? But several A-list stars, including Janet Jackson, Rob Kardashian and Richard Simmons, have kept a low profile at one point in their lives, completely hiding from paparazzi lenses and even, in some cases, their own friends and family. Click through to see eight celebs who’ve resurfaced after long, mysterious absences.
Stars Who Resurfaced After Long, Mysterious Absences
It’s hard to imagine a celebrity disappearing from the spotlight without a trace, right? But several A-list stars, including Janet Jackson, Rob Kardashian and Richard Simmons, have kept a low profile at one point in their lives, completely hiding from paparazzi lenses and even, in some cases, their own friends and family. Click through to see eight celebs who’ve resurfaced after long, mysterious absences.
It’s hard to imagine a celebrity disappearing from the spotlight without a trace, right? But several A-list stars, including Janet Jackson, Rob Kardashian and Richard Simmons, have kept a low profile at one point in their lives, completely hiding from paparazzi lenses and even, in some cases, their own friends and family. Click through to see eight celebs who’ve resurfaced after long, mysterious absences.
The “Rhythm Nation” singer — the youngest child in music’s most famous family — has disappeared from the limelight several times since she broke onto the music scene with her smash third album, 1986’s Control. Most recently, Jackson retreated to grieve the loss of her brother Michael Jackson in June 2009. Nearly two years later, she returned with a greatest hits album and a supporting 80-plus-date world tour. In 2012, the R&B songstress quietly married Qatari business magnate Wissam Al Mana and withdrew from the public eye once again. In 2015, Jackson came back with a vengeance on her eleventh album, Unbreakable, before announcing in 2016 that she was pregnant with her first child, leading to the cancelation of her Unbreakable Tour.
Kim Kardashian’s reclusive younger brother was absent from his famous family’s reality show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, for nearly two years. He even skipped Kim and Kanye West’s wedding in May 2014. Rob made his return to reality TV in April 2016 — after linking up with his now-pregnant fiancée, Blac Chyna — following reports that he was suffering from depression, weight gain and a diabetes scare.
The High School Musical star was out of the spotlight for five months as he completed a secret stunt in rehab in 2013. Efron later opened up about his problems with cocaine and alcohol (and how he joined Alcoholics Anonymous) in an April 2014 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I was drinking a lot, way too much,” he said at the time, adding that AA “changed my life.”
The fitness guru — who became a household name in the '80s — dropped out of the spotlight completely and reportedly ceased communication with everyone in his personal life in late 2013. In March 2016, two of Simmons’ pals revealed they were concerned for the star’s well-being and feared he was being held hostage in his own home. Simmons immediately denied the claims. In June 2016, the Sweatin’ to the Oldies star was briefly hospitalized after reportedly exhibiting “bizarre” behavior. He later clarified in a statement to Us Weekly that he was merely “dehydrated.”
Twelve years after starring in Joe Millionaire, the reality star reemerged, looking nearly unrecognizable, at a March 2015 TV panel in Beverly Hills. Marriott — who famously portrayed a millionaire with 20 women competing for his affection in the 2003 hit Fox series that pre-dated the Bachelor phenomenon — explained that he went back to his normal life and started working as a contractor.
The longtime radio personality, who suffered from a form of progressive dementia, was reported missing by his daughter Kerri in May 2014. He was found shortly after in Washington after a judge ordered an investigation into his whereabouts. Kerri was granted a conservatorship and was chosen to make medical decisions on her father’s behalf. Kasem died from complications of Lewy body disease at a Washington hospital in June 2014 at age 82.
The “Tipsy” rapper’s record label, Gracie Entertainment, said in March 2010 that J-Kwon had been missing since early February 2010. Later that month, the St. Louis native assured fans he was “just taking some time out” and released his self-titled fourth album. While he was still “missing,” worried fans took to social media for help and even created the Twitter handle @WhereIsJKwon.
In May 2012, the Terminator 3 actor’s then-wife, Rose Murphy, reported that he was missing and she feared his disappearance was drug related. Five days later, Stahl emailed his friends to say he was entering a 30-day rehab program. A month later, the star was reported MIA again, but reconciled with his family soon after. Later that year, Stahl was arrested in a Los Angeles adult movie store for “lewd conduct” after reportedly watching a movie in a private booth.
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