Why John Legend is considering leaving California

Last month’s massive Southern California wildfires have John Legend and his wife Chrissy Teigen debating whether or not they want to stay in the Golden State.

In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Legend revealed that the couple have considered moving back to New York following the “collective trauma” of the deadly fires.

The “Get Lifted” singer said he and his family were returning home from vacation on Jan. 7, the day the Palisades Fire broke out, and they were shocked to see “the flames and billowing smoke.”

Their “fears grew” when the Sunset Fire started in the Hollywood Hills just a day later and started to quickly expand. He said, “The danger felt too close for comfort.”

“That night, my wife and I gathered our four kids, four dogs and bearded dragon and drove south to a hotel in Carlsbad,” he recounted. “We didn’t return until the following week. Our home was safe, but many weren’t so fortunate, and the threat still looms. “

He said the fires “shook everyone” including their children.

“Chrissy and I have always considered returning to New York, where we once lived. We probably will, once our youngest ones grow up a bit,” he explained.

The couple’s youngest children, Esti Maxine and Wren Alexander, are both one. Their oldest daughter Luna is 8 and their oldest son Mile Theodore is 6.

“Every time nature shows its wrath, we wonder if it’s time to head back east. Who knows?”

The couple have been living in Beverly Hills since 2020. They had a pair of penthouses in the Nolita neighborhood of Manhattan, New York, and sold them in 2022 for a whopping $18 million. They once planned to combine the two penthouses, but never got around to it the EGOT winner told the outlet three years ago.

“We’ve realized that because of work and everything, we’re really mostly going to be in Los Angeles, so we’re going to focus our home-building energy and renovation energy on what we’re doing in L.A.,” he said at the time.

While he knew the move was best for the couple’s commitments on the West Coast, he couldn’t help but reminisce about life back east.

“I miss it all the time,” he said. “New York is always going to be my favorite city.”