Tony Hale Traded Hollywood Hustle for Alabama Calm… and He’s Not Looking Back (But He Kind of Misses the Traffic)

Tony Hale has spent decades making audiences laugh through some of TV and film’s most chaotic, fast-paced worlds, from Arrested Development to Veep to voicing the ever-panicked Forky in Pixar’s Toy Story franchise.

But off-screen, the actor has made a surprisingly grounded life decision: leaving Los Angeles behind for Birmingham, Alabama.

In a new People exclusive, Hale opens up about why he and his family decided to relocate after more than two decades in Hollywood, and how the slower rhythm of Southern life has reshaped his day-to-day mindset in ways he didn’t fully expect.

A Family Move Rooted in Timing, Change, and Being Closer to Home

For Tony Hale, 55, the decision wasn’t about running away from Hollywood, it was about stepping into a new phase of life.

After spending 22 years in Los Angeles with his wife, Martel Thompson, and raising their daughter Loy there, the family felt the timing naturally aligned with a transition.

Their daughter graduated from high school and enrolled in college in the Southeast, which played a big role in their decision to relocate in 2024.

As Hale explained, the move was deeply tied to family connection and proximity. “We love being close to her,” he said, speaking about their daughter.

But like most teenagers adjusting to major family shifts, Loy wasn’t immediately thrilled about the relocation. Hale acknowledged that reality with honesty and a bit of humor.

“I think she wasn’t thrilled about us leaving LA. And I get it. She’s an L.A. girl. She grew up in LA, so that’s her home.”

It’s a sentiment many families can relate to: parents seeking a reset or a new environment, while children feel rooted in the only place they’ve truly known.

For the Hales, Los Angeles wasn’t just a city; it was a chapter filled with memories, milestones, and a full childhood for their daughter. Still, the pull toward a different pace of life ultimately won out.

Why Birmingham Feels Like a Reset Button for Tony Hale

For someone whose career thrives in fast-moving creative environments, Birmingham, Alabama, might seem like an unexpected landing spot. But for Hale, it’s exactly that contrast that makes it work.

He describes the city as offering something Los Angeles rarely does: the ability to slow down.

“I love being in L.A., but it’s very easy to be thinking about ‘What’s next?’ Down here, I’m not thinking about that as much,” Hale shared.

That shift, from constant forward-thinking to present living, has been one of the biggest changes in his life since moving.

He also spoke warmly about Birmingham itself, pushing back against any assumptions that a smaller Southern city lacks culture or energy.

“And Birmingham is a fantastic town. The restaurant scene, the art scene, there’s so many things, but it’s a slower, simpler pace.”

In many ways, Hale seems to have found a version of life that still feeds creativity without the constant pressure cooker of Hollywood expectations. The industry hasn’t disappeared from his world… far from it, but it no longer dictates the rhythm of his everyday life in quite the same way.

Even small, mundane experiences have taken on new meaning. One of the biggest surprises? Parking.

The actor joked about how much mental space parking takes up in big cities like Los Angeles and New York.

“In New York and LA, you spend a lot of time like, ‘Okay, where’s the parking? Are we going to park here? Are we going to move our car?’ You don’t think about that kind of stuff here. That kind of simplicity is nice,” he said.

It’s a simple observation, but one that reflects a larger shift: fewer logistical stressors, fewer constant micro-decisions, and more mental breathing room.

Missing L.A., From Creative Energy to Car Conversations

Of course, leaving Los Angeles doesn’t mean erasing it emotionally. Hale is candid about the aspects of California life he still misses, particularly the social and creative ecosystem surrounding the entertainment industry.

One of the most unexpected things he found himself missing? The time spent in traffic. Yes… traffic.

“You spend so much time in your car in L.A. it kind of becomes this sacred space,” Hale said. “I would call people, listen to podcasts, I’d listen to music. You just kind of checked out. Here, everything’s like 10 minutes away, so you’re rarely in your car. And I never thought I’d say that, but I kind of miss that time!”

It’s a very L.A. confession: what most people consider frustration becomes, for longtime residents, a strangely personal pocket of solitude.

Beyond traffic nostalgia, Hale also reflected on missing the friendships and creative energy that naturally come from being surrounded by other people in entertainment.

The proximity to artists, writers, actors, and creators in Los Angeles fosters an informal creative network that he admits is harder to replicate elsewhere. Still, his move hasn’t slowed his career momentum.

Hale continues to stay busy professionally, returning to voice Forky in Toy Story 5. He also appears alongside Jennifer Lopez in the Netflix comedy Office Romance and has begun filming a new project directed by Nancy Meyers that features Penélope Cruz.

Even with a different home base, he remains firmly active in the industry that defined much of his adult life.

And perhaps most interestingly, the move has given him a new lens through which to view both regions of the country. Hale shared that he often finds himself caught between perspectives.

“I can find myself being in the South defending California, and then I can find myself in California defending the South,” he said. “It’s very easy to point the finger. It’s easy to put things in boxes.”

It’s a reminder that even major life changes don’t always simplify identity… they can expand it.

A Hollywood Exit That Isn’t Really an Exit

Tony Hale’s move from Los Angeles to Birmingham isn’t a dramatic departure from Hollywood so much as a recalibration of it.

He’s still acting, still voicing iconic animated characters, and still working with major names in the industry. But his personal life now moves at a different speed.

Instead of chasing “what’s next” in the constant churn of Hollywood energy, he’s found space to simply be where he is, whether that’s at home in Alabama, on a film set, or reflecting on the oddly comforting chaos of LA traffic from afar.

For Hale, the shift seems less about leaving a place behind and more about widening the frame of his life. And in true Tony Hale fashion, he’s doing it with a mix of sincerity, self-awareness, and just enough humor to remind us not to take any of it too seriously.