“It used to be such a great town and the ‘90s was nice,” the 'Parent Trap' star said of his one-time hometown
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NEED TO KNOW
- Dennis Quaid is opening up about why he left the once “fantastic” city of Los Angeles for Nashville
- “It’s been kind of going downhill and I feel like people pay these taxes for no services,” the actor said on the red carpet at CMA Fest over the weekend
- The Parent Trap star and his wife relocated to Tennessee in 2020
Dennis Quaid is speaking out about why he moved away from Los Angeles, saying it was once a “fantastic” city but he feels it's gone “downhill.”
“It used to be such a great town and the ‘90s was nice,” the Parent Trap star, 72, told Fox News at CMA Fest on Saturday. “And then it's been kind of going downhill and I feel like people pay these taxes for no services is what it gets down to.”
The Emmy winner lived in Hollywood for decades, but has also owned homes in Texas and Montana, where his 418-acre ranch was featured in Architectural Digest in 2003 before being listed for $14 million in 2011.
Quaid says he became frustrated with Los Angeles living, particularly in the wake of the devastating Southern California wildfires. Although Quaid and his wife Laura Savoie, 33, left L.A. to make Nashville their primary residence in 2020, he was forced to evacuate his home in L.A.'s Brentwood neighborhood amid the natural disaster.
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“The fire happens and it kind of exposes all those things that go on that should have ben taken care of,” he said on Saturday. “So people are — people are angry, half angry and they're half kind of feel like giving up, to tell you the truth.”
The Substance actor says he's not alone in this sentiment. “I'm just one of thousands who have left, and I don't know, I hope the town comes back," he says. “I really do. It used to be such a fantastic town. It was. It was a great community, too. And something's happened. People need to be inspired there.”
Since the natural disaster, Quaid has participated in the “They Let Us Burn” protests calling for L.A. Mayor Karen Bass to resign. At one of their events in January, The Hills alum Spencer Pratt publicly announced his campaign for mayor.
“I hope Pratt wins,” Quaid told Fox News at the 2nd Annual Military & Veteran Entertainment Awards Gala in L.A. last month. When asked why, he explained: “Why? What are you talking about? Why? Just look around, man.”
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Pratt, 42, lost his bid for L.A. mayor and placed third in the June 2 primaries, advancing Bass and Democratic City Councilwoman Nithya Raman to the general election on Nov. 3.
In February, Quaid described himself as a “common-sense independent” while sitting down with Pastor Greg Laurie for an episode of The Greg Laurie Show. He also described President Donald Trump as “very surprisingly approachable and very funny…and really genuine.”
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