Charmed star Holly Marie Combs has announced her retirement from acting at age 52 after moving to Washington state to raise her three sons.
The actress revealed she was stepping back from showbusiness on Tuesday's episode of her podcast, House Of Halliwell, admitting that she has become dissatisfied with the roles being offered to women in her age group.
Combs explained that the projects coming across her desk were no longer compelling enough to draw her away from her family life in the Pacific Northwest.
"The stuff that I was getting and coming across my desk was just nothing that I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is really great. I need to do this,'" Combs shared on the podcast.
"And being in, you know, that 40 to 50 range, the job pool gets even smaller and smaller. And I feel like the roles get a little less interesting," she added.
The Daily Mail reached out to representatives for Combs regarding her retirement statement, but has not yet received a response.
Career shift and family life
While discussing the shortage of roles for women her age, Combs joked that none of the scripts sent to her were "blowing up my skirt." However, she clarified that female actors in her age range currently have more opportunities than in previous decades.
Her decision to step away from Hollywood coincided with a move to Washington state, where she focused on raising her three sons with ex-husband David Donoho: Finley, 22, Riley, 19, and Kelley, 17.
Combs, who married her current husband Mike Ryan in 2019, explained that her career transition accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic.
"It was a lot of family. During COVID, we had three teenagers. Well, it was three teenagers and a preteen in the house, and it was just mayhem and chaos," she clarified.
Reflections on acting and escapism
Despite enjoying her quieter family life outside the entertainment industry, Combs admitted that she occasionally yearns for the days when she was regularly acting.
"I miss it occasionally," she said. "Because, like you said, there's those moments when you're involved and you're acting and you're working that are just, I think it's like being present."
She noted that performing provided a unique form of personal relief that is difficult to recreate in daily life.
"That's what escapism is. And we get to escape into this different character with a different set of situations than our own life," Combs continued. "And there is something about being in that moment that is quite peaceful, even if you're doing something highly dramatic."
Current projects and future plans
Even with her step back from acting, Combs remains contented with her decision and stays active managing her personal ventures, including running her "15 other businesses."
She also stays connected to her fanbase through House Of Halliwell, a Charmed rewatch podcast she launched in 2022 alongside former co-stars.
Combs indicated that she would not consider devoting herself to full-time acting again until her youngest son, Kelley, completes high school, at which point she expects to have a "lot more time on [her] hands." With Kelley already 17 years old, any potential break from acting could prove temporary.
Before taking her hiatus, Combs appeared on screen in a 2019 guest role on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. Prior to that appearance, she spent seven years starring as Ella Montgomery on the teen drama series Pretty Little Liars from 2010 through 2017.
Charmed legacy and tribute to Shannen Doherty
Combs remains best known for her starring role on the WB fantasy series Charmed, which aired from 1998 to 2006. She portrayed Piper Halliwell, one of a trio of magically gifted sisters battling evil forces while living normal lives in San Francisco.
She originally starred alongside Shannen Doherty and Alyssa Milano. After Doherty departed the series at the end of its third season, Rose McGowan joined the show for the remaining five seasons as long-lost half-sister Paige Matthews. Combs also expanded her role behind the camera, working as a producer starting in season five.
Following the death of Doherty in July 2024 after a long battle with breast cancer, Combs tearfully paid tribute to her close friend and co-star on an episode of House Of Halliwell. Doherty had appeared on the podcast as a guest shortly before her passing.
"I've had a little bit of time to reflect on that and how everything worked out," Combs said on the show. "I think she did as much as she could in the time that she had, but we did think we had more time."
She added tearfully: "And that's the really sad part is, you know, we had big, big plans for this year. And she didn't think she was going anywhere anytime soon."
