George and Amal Clooney Granted French Citizenship, Move Family to Southern France

George and Amal Clooney, along with their two children, have been granted French citizenship. The family lives on a farm in Brignoles, southern France, which provides a quieter, more traditional upbringing for their children away from Hollywood. While Amal and the children speak French fluently, George admits his own French is still poor.

US actor George Clooney, his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, and their two children have been officially granted French citizenship, the French government confirmed. The announcement was published in the Journal Officiel, the official record for government decrees in France.
The Clooney family’s primary residence is their farm in Brignoles, a town in the south of France, which they purchased in 2021. Didier Brémond, the mayor of Brignoles, told local media that the family’s decision to become French citizens demonstrates George Clooney’s “love for our country.” He described the Clooneys as “a very simple and very accessible family,” adding, “Here, he wants to live normally, and that’s what he is trying to do.”
In an interview with Esquire magazine earlier this year, George Clooney explained that the family moved to France because he was concerned about raising their children in Los Angeles, amid the pressures of Hollywood culture. He said he did not want his children to constantly worry about paparazzi or to be compared to other famous children. Clooney emphasized that life on their French farm allows the twins to experience a more traditional upbringing, saying, “They’re not on their iPads, you know? They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life.”
In addition to their French home, the Clooneys also maintain properties in the United Kingdom and in Kentucky, where George Clooney was born. Their twins, Ella and Alexander, were born in London in 2017. Amal Clooney, who was born in Lebanon and raised in the UK, was naturalized under her maiden name, Amal Alamuddin, according to the Journal Officiel.
Adapting to French life appears to have been easier for Amal Clooney and the children than for George Clooney himself. Speaking during a recent interview promoting his new movie Jay Kelly, the actor joked that while his wife and children speak French fluently, his own French is “horrible,” despite trying to teach himself through a language-learning app. He humorously added, “They speak French in front of me so that they can say terrible things about me to my face, and I don’t know,” speaking to French broadcaster Canal+.
The Clooneys’ naturalization and their decision to settle in France underscore their desire for a quieter, more grounded family life, away from the constant scrutiny of Hollywood. By choosing to live on a farm and immerse their children in a more traditional lifestyle, the couple aims to give their family a sense of normalcy and privacy that they felt was increasingly difficult to maintain in the United States. Their move reflects both a personal commitment to family well-being and a deep appreciation for French culture and lifestyle.