Buzz
Smartphones have become a staple of modern life, so ubiquitous that it seems impossible to live without them. From digital tickets for events to reading menus, QR codes, apps, social media, and GPS—they put everything you need at your fingertips. With constant connectivity, you're plugged into the world around you 24/7. But does this come at a price?
More and more individuals are realizing that constant connectivity via smartphones isn't always beneficial. Interestingly, a number of these individuals are well-known public figures. In this article, we’ll explore ten celebrities who’ve opted to step away from the smartphone trend and abandoned their mobile devices for various reasons. After hearing their justifications for switching to flip phones or going completely phone-free, you might start to see their point. But, we’re left wondering—how long did they really last without their phones?
10. Sarah Jessica Parker
At the start of the 2010s, Sarah Jessica Parker was deeply immersed in digital communication, with both a mobile phone and an active email account. However, in 2013, she realized something troubling: she was falling behind on calls and emails. The feeling of needing to stay constantly available to everyone became overwhelming. After reflecting on her lifestyle, she made the decision to cut out one of her tech habits. And ultimately, the choice was clear—she had to say goodbye to her mobile phone.
Sarah Jessica Parker decided to hold onto her BlackBerry specifically to manage the endless stream of emails she receives from family and friends. In doing so, she gave up her other smartphone and opted to completely cut out cell phone use. “I chose emails because when you’re on a set, you can carefully and sneakily check a BlackBerry, but you can’t return a phone call,” Parker shared with E! News when discussing her decision to abandon her mobile device. “Hearing ‘your voicemail is full’ is horrifying to me.” We get it, Sarah!
9. Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken doesn't just avoid owning a smartphone—he also refrains from using any modern digital technology! The legendary actor, no longer in his youth, decided not to embrace the rise of computers and digital gadgets in recent decades. Feeling he was too old to catch up, Walken opted to stay away from cell phones, and even computers! He has never owned a computer and sees no reason to start now.
“I just got to it too late,” Walken admitted during a 2010 interview with Stephen Colbert. “I think I’m right at a certain age where it just passed me by. I never got too involved in it because it would be strange to have any 10-year-old be much better at it than I am.” A fair point, especially when you consider how tech-savvy younger generations are with computers today!
But what about cell phones? Surely Walken must need to make calls to directors or producers every once in a while, right? Wrong! “Cell phones and that sort of thing, it’s a little bit like a watch,” Walken told Colbert. “If you need one, somebody else has got it. People are nice about letting me borrow things.” Sure… But you can’t always count on that!
8. Dierks Bentley
In 2014, when Dierks Bentley needed a new phone, he wasn't interested in following the crowd and picking up an iPhone like most people. Instead, when he visited a Verizon store, he asked for the most basic phone they had. The result? A flip phone! While the world was increasingly leaning into the iPhone era, Bentley made a conscious choice to go against the grain.
Bentley shared his thoughts with People Magazine: 'I'm going low-tech. Everyone else was rushing out for the iPhone 6, but I chose a flip phone. It has a camera for the kids, but that's about it. This one was only 99 cents. I'm trying to make more calls and send fewer texts. I don’t want to check my phone constantly anymore. It was overwhelming. I’m bringing old-school back.' We love that! Perhaps it’s a trend worth following.
7. Justin Bieber
While many celebrities have traded their smartphones for flip phones, Justin Bieber took it a step further by completely ditching his cell phone! It’s easier to make that choice when you have a team of people handling your communications. We’re sure his team has their own smartphones to manage everything for him. But still, it’s noteworthy that in 2021, the pop star chose to live without a phone.
Justin shared with Billboard Magazine that he only owns an iPad to occasionally send emails when needed. His main reason for having it was to avoid constant requests for favors, help, and other benefits that come with his celebrity status.
Bieber explained, “I’ve definitely learned to set boundaries, and I no longer feel obligated to help everyone. That has empowered me to say no firmly. My heart wants to help, but I can’t do it all. Sometimes I wish I could, but it's just not sustainable.” It seems that disconnecting from his phone, so he can’t receive calls or texts, might be the perfect solution!
6. Simon Cowell
For years, Simon Cowell had a smartphone, essential for his work in the competitive pop music industry. However, in 2017, he woke up and realized he was overwhelmed with text messages and phone calls. Feeling too connected and accessible, he decided to give up his cell phone completely. Not just his smartphone, but he stopped using any cell phone altogether!
Reflecting on his decision in an interview with ET, Simon Cowell recalled, “It’s quite simple. You wake up and find 50 unread messages that you can’t respond to. I realized, even if I reply to every one, they’ll keep coming back. So I switched it off, and it turned into a month, then three, then a year, two years, and now three years. And I absolutely love it.” That seems like a refreshingly liberating decision!
5. Kate Beckinsale
Kate Beckinsale is stunningly beautiful, which probably gives her the freedom to choose when it comes to adopting new technology—or not adopting it. We’re only half-joking about that, but she really is striking. When it comes to her phone choices, Kate is old-school. In 2016, she revealed in an interview with Slash Gear that she still used a red Verizon LG flip phone. Unlike most people, Kate wasn't interested in getting an iPhone. The tech shift felt too steep, and the all-encompassing digital world it introduced was unsettling to her.
When asked about the tech products she uses daily, Beckinsale responded, “That’s pretty much it,” referring to her flip phone. “I don’t care for my iPod. I prefer a good record player and a book. I’m very much about that... an iPhone doesn’t interest me.” After witnessing how constant connectivity has impacted people around her, we too find ourselves less eager for that kind of world. Maybe Kate’s approach is the better one!
4. Elton John
Elton John is refreshingly candid about his reasons for not owning a smartphone—or any cell phone at all! The legendary singer simply doesn’t need to deal with the hassle of constant contact due to his level of fame. Instead of having a phone of his own, Elton relies on his assistant, who always stays nearby and acts as the intermediary. Imagine being so well-known that you can completely disconnect from the outside world—what a liberating feeling that must be!
Elton does use one piece of technology: an iPad. However, he doesn’t use it in the same way many of us do. It’s there for just one purpose—to Skype with his family when they are far away. Elton explained to late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, “My life is fabulous. I don’t have people calling me every minute. I couldn’t stand having a phone. I only have an iPad for the kids and Skyping them when I’m not with them.” Honestly, in some ways, that seems like the dream!
3. Chris Pine
Chris Pine might be a globally recognized actor, but that doesn’t mean he wants to be accessible 24/7. For many years, he stood by his flip phone, resisting the global rise of smartphones. It wasn’t until 2022 that he caved and got an iPhone, wanting to stay current with the modern world. However, it didn’t take long for him to regret the decision and return to his beloved flip phone.
Pine shared in a podcast interview, “I had a flip phone for three or four years, and then I got an iPhone because I felt overwhelmed by how difficult it was to stay analog. But having just gotten this crack machine [the iPhone]—it’s really bad. These things are really, really, really bad.”
Reflecting on the overwhelming amount of information and constant connection at his fingertips, Pine admitted that the experience was taxing on him emotionally: “I may immediately go back to a flip phone. I don’t know if I can handle [an iPhone]—I don’t know if my soul can handle it.”
2. Michael Cera
Michael Cera might seem like the perfect candidate to embrace the smartphone era. Growing up just as the iPhone was taking over, highly popular both in movies and online, and with the world seemingly at his fingertips, you’d think he'd dive into the trend. But, in reality, he has no interest in having the world quite so literally at his fingertips. This stems from a negative experience he had with the Blackberry when it first launched many years ago!
Cera shared with Hollywood Reporter about his unique career and his dislike for smartphones. He admitted that the idea of being so connected to everything around him gave him “a bit of fear,” fearing that he might lose control of his real life. But his aversion goes even further. When the Blackberry first came out, Cera’s best friend immediately bought one. Their next lunch together didn’t go quite as planned.
Cera recalled, “When smartphones first started coming out, back when it was Blackberries, I had lunch with my best friend at the time. He had just gotten one, and for the entire meal, he was typing out emails. I sat there feeling lonely and bored. That’s when I developed an early aversion to them.” It’s easy to see how that might have turned him off from smartphones for good!
1. Shailene Woodley
A decade ago, in 2014, actress Shailene Woodley made the bold decision to completely give up her cell phone. With the support of her assistant, agent, and manager, who helped manage her career, she had the freedom to make this choice—a luxury most of us can't afford. But despite that, she permanently gave up her smartphone! In an interview with Daily Beast, Woodley explained that smartphones had created a “bigger lack of privacy” and “a bigger lack of camaraderie and community” than any other invention in history up to that point. She’s not wrong!
Woodley also shared that if she ever decided to use a phone again, it would be a flip phone. She said, “If I were to have one, it would be a flip phone… Since getting rid of mine, I’ve had to ask people for directions more than I ever have, and I’m talking to people more because I don’t have that technological crutch. The more you distance yourself from all the digital noise, the more freedom you experience.”
Fast forward a few years, and there’s been an update! Shailene has now returned to using a smartphone—sort of. On Jimmy Kimmel Live a couple of years ago, she revealed that she owns an iPhone, but it doesn’t have a data plan. She only uses it when she can connect to Wi-Fi. Outside of that, she still relies on her flip phone to keep in touch with family and friends. Quite an interesting approach—using two phones, each for a different purpose!
