Why Eva Longoria Left Hollywood - WHO (2025)

Marking the 20th anniversary of the premiere episode of Desperate Housewives in October, Eva Longoria, who played glamorous, gardener-loving troublemaker Gaby Solice for eight seasons, fondly remembered her time on the series that ran until 2012.

Weeks after reminiscing about her time on Wisteria Lane, she made headlines again when discussing her real-life address in an interview with Marie Claire for their November cover story. Longoria revealed that she and her husband, José Bastón, now live between Spain and Mexico with their 6-year-old son, Santiago.

“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,” said the star, who spoke at the Democratic National Convention and hit the campaign trail on behalf of US presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. “Most Americans aren’t so lucky. They’re going to be stuck in this dystopian country, and my anxiety and sadness is for them.”

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On November 15, she walked back the comments on a phone call into The View: Behind the Table podcast. “Will you please let them know I didn’t move out of the United States because of Trump?” she asked the host. “I’ve been in Europe for almost three years … I didn’t leave because of the political environment. I left because my work took me there.”

She added that she’s in Catalonia and Spain working on her AppleTV+ show, Land of Women, and is also filming the food-led documentary series Searching for Spain, following the success of 2023’s Searching for Mexico.

Longoria moved from her native Texas to Los Angeles in the late 1990s, landing her first TV spot on Beverly Hills, 90210, before appearing on soap operas like General Hospital and The Young and the Restless.

After shooting to stardom on Desperate Housewives, she has carved a unique path in the entertainment industry, continuing to act and starting her own production company, focusing on projects that celebrate women and the Latin American community. Her company was behind the Oscar-nominated 2023 film Flamin’ Hot, which she also directed.

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Longoria reckons her supportive spouse also deserves some credit. Bastón, who is a Mexican television executive and producer, proposed to Longoria in Dubai in December 2015, and they got married in their garden in Mexico in May 2016. Bridesmaid Victoria Beckham designing her dress.

“She did my civil outfit, my wedding dress and the after-party dress,” Longoria told The Times in June 2023. “She brought everything – I mean, she literally carried it with her. Put it on me, buckled my shoes because I couldn’t bend down, zipped up my dress when I got drunk. She was like,‘I know my role.’ She is that best friend.”

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Longoria says that her husband plays another position. “My best friends are my best friends, and I go to them for things,” she said. “And my husband is my partner. He’s there for a different function, and he really excels in that role in my life.”

Longoria added that a key to her relationship with Bastón is that he’s happy for her to steal the show. “He loves for me to be on the red carpet. It’s one place he hates,” said the star, who had previously been married twice.

“It’s actually refreshing to be with somebody who doesn’t need that constant validation of like, ‘Remind people we’re together. Remind people, I need to be on a red carpet.’ He’s just a really kind partner. He makes me laugh, and he’s a really good partner and he supports me in everything I do … We don’t compete for attention or spotlight.”

The star also has her own charity, the Eva Longoria Foundation, which was founded in 2012. In March, she was honoured with the Bezos Courage and Civility Award and received $77 million to donate to worthy organisations.

“Talent doesn’t sustain you in this business,” George Clooney told Marie Claire of Longoria’s secret to success. “It requires hard work, determination, and brass balls. We know countless stars who flamed out. The reason Eva is still so relevant is because she won’t take no for an answer.”