Why Hallmark Star James Denton Ditched His Life In Hollywood

“Desperate Housewives” made James Denton one of the biggest stars on TV, but when the series wrapped in 2012, he decided to take a (physical) step back from Hollywood. While he has continued to act steadily since then, he and his wife, Erin O’Brien, moved away from Tinseltown to be closer to her family in Minneapolis, Minnesota. “I wanted to get my kids out of L.A.,” the actor told People in 2014. As he explained, their new hometown offered peace and quiet and plenty of opportunities to spend quality time with family. Speaking of his two kiddos, Sheppard (born in 2003) and Malin (born in 2005), he mused, “They won’t always want Dad around as they get older, but for now, they do — I want to make the most of it.” The couple also took things one step further by purchasing a second home in rural Montana that was even more isolated. “I only have one chance to be a good dad to them,” Denton said, and he planned to make the most of it.

Indeed, the perks of living in a small town have only grown since his kids hit their teens. “With social media, they’ve got enough to deal with without being [in Los Angeles],” he told Yahoo Life in 2022. “I think kids judge each other a little more harshly and everybody’s parents seem to be in the business in some aspect.”