The Real Reason Why Lindsay Lohan Lives In Dubai

Lindsay Lohan was thrust into the spotlight at a young age. Her personal exploits became fodder for the paparazzi, as did her well-documented legal issues. The Mean Girls star eventually left the United States, moved overseas, and chose Dubai as her full-time home. In a 2020 interview on David Spade's YouTube channel, Lohan told the actor that she had lived in the United Arab Emirates for six years and first went to Dubai in 2008 (via Esquire Middle East).

There are several aspects of the city that attracted the actress, and she cites a close female support group as one of them. "It's a very big place for female activists," she told W Magazine during a 2018 interview, adding, "Women have a very strong community." Lohan has expanded her brand since moving overseas, and opened nightclubs in several locations including Mykonos and Athens, as per Emirates Woman.

One surprising by-product of Lohan's move to the Middle East is it brought her closer to her family members, including her father Michael Lohan, with whom she had well-publicized issues in the past. "We're all in touch ... It just took me going to Dubai," she said in a 2019 interview on The Howard Stern Show. "Usually, when I have spare time, my family and friends come to visit, which is amazing," she told Ahlan! Magazine in 2018 (via The National News).

It's clear that Lohan found peace in Dubai, but why did she move there in the first place?

After spending almost her entire life in the spotlight, Lindsay Lohan was eager for a change of pace. "Moving here was a fresh start," she told Emirates Woman in 2018. She enjoyed how the focus of conversations was not centered on celebrity life. "You hear more about real current events rather than celebrity gossip, which I really appreciate," she told the publication.

Avoiding public scrutiny was a major motivating factor in The Parent Trap star's decision. "I moved here for that purpose — I don't have to be publicly seen all the time, or discuss what I'm doing," she told Emirates Woman. Enjoying a level of anonymity was important to Lohan. "There's a certain calmness that I find [in Dubai]. There's no paparazzi, no cameras; that's a big deal for me," she said in her 2018 interview with W Magazine.

Ultimately, the serenity that Lohan found since moving to Dubai has allowed her to be more productive. "I get more done because I don't have the scrutiny and fixation on what I'm doing every second. I work all the time; my mind never stops," she told Emirates Woman.

On Jul. 02, 2020, Lohan celebrated turning 34-years-old, and in an Instagram video post she showed off her personal growth. When reflecting on her low-key birthday she realized, "How lucky we all are to just have the people around us that we love and the people in our lives that we love and how simple is key."

Lindsay Lohan changed her lifestyle while living overseas, and that included spiritual exploration. In early 2017, the Freaky Friday actress created a stir when she returned to the United States. She was spotted holding the Quran while she returned home, causing many to speculate that the Hollywood star had converted to Islam.

During a Facebook Live with Mail Online (via The Sun), Lohan addressed her possible religious conversion. "I've studied the Quran for quite some time," she said during the stream. Although she had an affinity for the faith, the nightclub owner was only studying up to broaden her spirituality. "It's a process to convert to anything," Lohan said during the Facebook Live, "It's a beautiful religion and I am a very spiritual person... You can't just convert overnight to a religion."

Later that year, the "Rumors" singer appeared on Haber Turk — a Turkish television channel — and spoke about being photographed holding the Islamic text. "They crucified me for it in America," she said in the interview (via The National News). "They made me seem like Satan. I was a bad person for holding that Quran."

At the end of 2019, Lindsay Lohan appeared ready to return to the United States full-time. While speaking to Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen as part of CNN's New Year's Eve coverage, the actress said she planned to return to Hollywood for 2020. "I'm managing my sister, so I want to really focus on me and everything that I can do in my life and come back to America and start filming again, which I'm doing something soon in this new year," she said on the broadcast via stream.

Those plans were derailed thanks, in part, to the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2020, Lohan appeared on David Spade's Light's Out podcast via Zoom. The multi-hyphenate performer said her sister, Aliana, had joined her in the Middle East during the lockdown. "She's stuck here with me in Dubai," Lohan told Spade (via Esquire Middle East). "She was supposed to go and be working on music in Australia and ... everything started happening with corona." 

The actress said she was happy to be in Dubai, and was in no hurry to leave. If she does eventually move back to the States, it doesn't seem like she will any time soon.