Tom Welling decided to move from Los Angeles because of the way the city was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The “Smallville” star, 48, left Los Angeles in 2020 with his wife Jessica Rose Lee and son Thomas and moved to a small town in Northern California.
“At the time, LA was wild,” Welling recalled in an interview with People magazine on January 10. “There were no cars on the roads, you couldn’t go anywhere.”
“People weren’t leaving their homes,” he continued. “Our oldest son was starting to crawl, and we only had a small deck for him to play on. We thought we didn’t know if he could be here anymore.”
Welling said she eventually wanted to move out of Los Angeles, but that plan was accelerated after visiting family in Northern California and falling in love with a ranch.
The “Cheaper by the Dozen” star is now having fun without being a celebrity in the community.
“In a small town, no one bothers you,” he said. “Everyone is famous in a small town.”
While Welling continues to work in acting, including in his new comedy Chasing Summer, which is set to premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, his wife breeds horses for a living.
“It’s peaceful,” he said of their life. “And it feels authentic.”
“When I was younger, I was always looking for the next big thing,” he said. “Right now, I just want to be where my feet are.”
Welling and Lee married in 2019 and welcomed their second son, Rocklin, in June 2021.
The actor was married to model Jamie White from 2002 to 2015.
In January 2025, Welling was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. He was arrested in the parking lot of an Arby’s in Yreka, Calif., just after midnight, according to police records obtained by Page Six at the time.
The charges were dismissed in May and he pleaded not guilty to lesser charges, Us Weekly reported.
In addition to being sentenced to one year of probation, he must pay a $619 fine, $150 in restitution and participate in a DUI program.
