Eva Longoria has clarified that she did not leave the US because of Donald Trump, despite warning the country has become ‘dystopian’.
The actress confirmed that she relocated to Europe due to her work commitments.
She explained her decision during a phone call to her friend Ana Navarro, who was appearing on the Behind The Table podcast.
‘I didn’t leave because of the political environment. I left because my work took me there,’ Longoria, 49, said.
‘I’m a proud American. I’ve always been a proud American. Proud Texan, proud American. I didn’t want it to be taken that I left because of Trump — absolutely not — or because of the elections.’
Longoria has been a vocal opponent of Trump’s and branded him, ‘a convicted criminal who spews so much hate’ in the wake of his election win.
But she insists his victory was not enough to drive her out of the country.
‘Will you please let them know I didn’t move out of the United States because of Trump?’ she told Navarro.
‘I’ve been in Europe for almost three years. That’s in the article, by the way, the article says that.
‘People just grabbed some clickbait stuff to be divisive. Which makes me so sad that everything you say is just meant to be divisive when we can’t be that way right now.’
The Desperate Housewives star campaigned for Kamala Harris and had ominous predictions about the country following her defeat.
‘I would like to think our fight continues,’ Longoria said in the aftermath. ‘If he keeps his promises, it’s going to be a scary place.’
She spoke about how Trump’s 2016 win left her feeling despondent.
‘I’ve never been depressed in my life,’ she told Marie Claire. ‘It was like, “Does my vote really matter? Am I really making a difference?”‘
‘I was so untethered to the core of what I believe because I truly believed in my soul that the best person wins. And then that happened, and I was like, “Oh, wait. The best person doesn’t win”.’
The actress previously told how she fled ‘dystopian’ America and is ‘privileged’ to now be living in Mexico and Spain with her family.
The Texas born star, who has spent her ‘whole adult life’ in California, says she feels the American ‘chapter in my life is done now’ and no longer wants to live in Los Angeles, alleging the city has been ‘changing’.
‘The vibe was different. And then COVID happened, and it pushed it over the edge,’ Longoria said.
‘Whether it’s the homelessness or the taxes, not that I want to s**t on California — it just feels like this chapter in my life is done now,’ she said.
Longoria, who has Spanish citizenship, and her producer husband José Bastón, a native of Mexico, have been living abroad with their six-year-old son Santiago while she works on her CNN miniseries Searching for Spain – a follow up to last year’s Searching for Mexico.
Several celebrities vowed to leave the US in the event of a Trump win.
The reactions ranged from playful hyperbole to what sounded like solemn pledges.
Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris had a who’s who of Hollywood endorsing her, with celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, Bruce Springsteen and Howard Stern backing her campaign.
Among those who pledged to flee the country was Cher, who has since reneged due to her commitment to her boyfriend Alexander Edwards and her reluctance to take him away from his son.
Sources also told DailyMail.com America Ferrera was considering a move in search of the ‘best opportunities’ for her children in the UK.
