Three things irrevocably changed the American population during the pandemic. One, over 1.1 million people died, leaving gaping holes in families and communities. Two, people’s lives were ripped apart by long covid and the longterm effects of covid infections, which we still don’t completely understand. We basically have a not-insignificant part of the population still dealing with health issues years after their covid infections. Three, we learned that millions of people living in America are absolute morons who hate and don’t understand science, vaccines and public health. Evangeline Lilly showed her ass during the pandemic and it’s never been the same for her since. In the early days of the pandemic, she arrogantly declared that quarantines are bullsh-t and “freedom” is more important than any public health measure. Then she went to that bonkers anti-vaxx rally and came out in support of “bodily sovereignty” against vaccine mandates. She did and said all of that while under contract with Marvel. Well, I guess her contract is up and she understands that she’s done irreversible harm to her career, because Evangeline is quitting the biz.

Evangeline Lilly announced on Instagram that she has stepped away from Hollywood for the foreseeable future and “might return one day.” Lilly, best known for playing Kate Austen in ABC’s drama series “Lost,” re-shared a video recorded in 2006 in which she expressed her desire to be a “retired actress” by the next decade.

“Ten years from now, where would I like to be? I am terrified to admit this to the rest of the acting world but ideally 10 years from now I’d like to be a retired actress and have a family,” Lilly said in the video. “I’d like to be writing and influencing people’s lives in humanitarian ways.”

In her caption to the video posted June 3, 2024, Lily writes: “I am so filled with joy and contentment today as I live out my vision. Praise God, I feel so grateful for my blessings. Stepping away from what seems like the obvious choice (wealth and fame) can feel scary at times, but stepping into your dharma replaces the fear with fulfillment. I might return to Hollywood one day, but, for now, this is where I belong.”

[From Variety]

Pre-pandemic, Evangeline was known as a granola-hippie type who eschewed the fame machine of Hollywood for the most part. Like, she never really capitalized on all of the buzz she got from Lost, and that genuinely was her choice back then. This current move is not completely her choice though – Marvel was not happy that several of their stars were such idiots during the pandemic. Evangeline wasn’t a big enough star for her career to weather her own stupidity. Sidenote: I don’t think she really had the talent for career longevity either, but whatever.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.