Q&A: Shaun Majumder left the bright lights of L.A. for Atlantic Canada, and says he couldn't be happier

Shaun Majumder has always proudly worn his home of Burlington, N.L., on his sleeve and says he's happy that he and his family are now back north of the border.

The actor and comedian and his family recently made the move from Los Angeles to Halifax, driven by the political climate in the United States, wildfires forcing him to leave his Los Angeles home and more.

Majumder told Weekend AM Host Heather Barrett about the move, what it felt like to live in the U.S. and what he has his eyes on now that's he back up north. Parts of their conversation have been edited for length and clarity. 

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: Why did you decide to move your family from Los Angeles to Halifax at this time?

A: Have you been watching the news? Have you seen what's going on? I ran out of a burning building with my youngsters under my arm and my wife on my back. I'm like, get me out of here, this is crazy! You know, we've been kind of like mulling over a big change over the last six to eight months, to be honest.

Having two young kids, living in Los Angeles, is a really different experience than moving down there as a super enthusiastic whipper snapper actor. But, you know, during COVID we had two children and that changed our lives forever. We actually went back to Newfoundland, it's kind of where we hunkered down.

It just feels like the perfect storm. Everything that's going on with the world right now has really enforced and kind of justified this move in a way that was unforeseen and now is absolute. And I feel incredible that we are here with the family in Atlantic Canada. There's no place I'd rather be right now.

Was there any particular moment in the last couple of months which solidified it for you?

Well, it seemed like it was just a cascade of different things, right? I don't know. There were a few things. We were looking at all kinds of of options back in the day. Like a year or two ago. And one thing that was so important to us was obviously the ocean. So we were like, OK, well, let's look up in Vancouver. Nope. The cost of living there is so insane. 

And then we also knew that the tides were turning on the political landscape in America. We knew an election was coming up and I said to my wife, 'Shelby, if Trump wins, I don't know. I have a feeling that that's going to be the kicker to get me to go. I think I need to go.'

We went through the election, we went to our family's place in Florida for Christmas. We came back to L.A. The city was on fire. Trump was now president, whether you like him or not.

WATCH | Majumder explains why he needed an escape from L.A.:

Shaun Majumder’s escape from L.A.: Actor explains why he moved back to Canada

3 days ago

Duration 4:10

Many Canadian actors move to Los Angeles, but Shaun Majumder has moved the other way — and says he couldn’t be happier. The longtime comedian recently relocated from L.A. to Halifax, along with his wife and their two daughters. Majumder says between L.A.’s recent wildfires and the USA’s superheated politics, he knew it was time for a change.

The country was kind of becoming more chaotic. And we were just like, oh, yeah, if the universe wasn't screaming at us right now to get out of here, then this is definitely a kicker. And I do most of my work in Canada, so it just makes sense for us to be up here.

So how do you and your family feel now that you're in the Halifax area?

The feeling of being back in Canada, it's a unique feeling. It's different, I think because everything is so heightened down there. Everything is so elevated right now. You know, the needle is just going off the Richter scale.

To come back to Canada, regardless of the political situation here, it feels like this is stable. It feels safe, it feels sensible. Even watching the news, on Marketplace there was this whole thing about toxins in clothing and a full, like, hour was dedicated to that.

But the feeling of safety and feeling grounded and feeling, you know, it's not all going to blow up in your face.

Things can go sideways in Canada, of course. And there's lots of divide. But, like, I'm paying $1,400 U.S. a month for insurance that I may never use and that still doesn't get me everything. Like, that's insanity to me. And so now coming back here and saying 'here's your number' — I've got an MCP number, I've got a Nova Scotia Medical Services Insurance number. The feeling of that alone is just breathtaking.

So in terms of your career, how is it going to work for you now being in Halifax?

It's going to be amazing. I can't wait. I can't wait to be back here where I've always been drawn to telling Canadian stories. I've always wanted to write and create stories about Canada within Canada. But living in L.A. you do feel like it's an isolating place. Even socially, it's a weird town.

LISTEN | Hear Majumder's conversation with Weekend AM's Heather Barrett:

Weekend AM12:10Shaun Majumder is coming back from away

Actor and comedian Shaun Majumder explains why he and his family have moved from Los Angeles in the United States and are coming back to live in Atlantic Canada. 

For me as an actor, I don't have to be in L.A. I can be anywhere in the world and audition, and to write and create and just to be active in the industry and as a stand up. I can tour across this country, which I can't wait to do. I've got some shows coming up I'm really excited about, from a safe, comfortable place.

I've got a show that shoots in Halifax that I'm on, From. I've got a Star Trek episode coming out, which I'm really excited. We shot that in Toronto. And now with the Canadian dollar not being so great, American productions are really looking north. They want to shoot everything up in Canada. So why not? Like, this makes perfect sense across the board and I'm really, really excited about it.

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