Justin Bieber, at the ripe age of 19, has claimed that he's ready to retire from music. After the year he's had, we can't say we blame the guy for wanting to bow out of the industry, but something tells us that his next album won't be his last -- and not just because sources close to the star have said he was just joking. How do we know? Let's take a look at these faux-retirees:
Jay Z can be considered one of hip-hop's royals, but he's also the king of the retirement fake-out. The rapper announced in 2003 that "The Black Album" would be his last, but life without a mic just didn't suit him. He was back in the booth within three years. He later told Entertainment Weekly that it was maybe the worst retirement in history.
Another star who loves to threaten us with his impending retirement is Johnny Depp. After turning 50 earlier this year, Depp told the BBC and Rolling Stone that he thinks about exiting the industry "every day," and that it's "probably not too far away." By "not too far away," we can only assume he means after 2016, since he'll be starring in six films between now and then.
First, Eddie Murphy said that he'd retire from movies at 50. That was back in 2008, when the comedian was 47. By 2012, even Murphy had to laugh at his forecasting, and had turned to joking about the fact that he was "completely retired." Of course, he's still working, with the latest being an effort to develop a "Triplets" movie.
Alec Baldwin has quit acting so many times we wish we had wised up years ago and placed bets on his inevitable return. He's made such claims about his career swan song as recently as 2009 and 2012 -- and then went on to appear in Woody Allen's 2013 release, "Blue Jasmine."
Barbra Streisand knows how to give a long goodbye. The legend gave her farewell tour in 2000, only to come back for another "this-is-it-really this-time" tour in 2006. But no one told Babs she couldn't go home again, and so in 2012, she lit up the Barclays Center in Brooklyn with a set of shows.
Perhaps Justin Bieber's retirement plan is inspired by his pal Chris Brown's. The troubled singer said in August 2013 that his next album would probably be his last. He also said he's thinking about quitting music altogether -- exactly the kind of vague statement someone can go back on when they want to release a new album.
When does a "break" translate into "thinking about retirement"? When a soundbite from an A-lister gets loose. Leo DiCaprio said at the start of 2013 that he was looking forward to taking a "long, long break" from acting, leading some to apply relationship logic: if you're on a break, you're basically over. And because they've always been two peas in a pod, one of DiCaprio's favorite working partners, director Martin Scorsese, says he's thinking about hanging up the clapboard, too.
Ozzy Osbourne was honest, at least. He tried retirement in 1993, but it turns out the free time just didn't agree with him. When he returned to the music scene a few years later, he did so with his tongue in his cheek: the trek was called the "Retirement Sucks" tour.
Emma Watson first started dropping the "R" word -- retirement -- in 2007, when she admitted that she was rich enough to have the option. While at the time she insisted that she wanted to keep working despite her "Harry Potter" haul, she clarified in 2009 that she didn't mean she wanted to work as an actress. She still does though, and will next be seen in 2014's "Noah."
Amanda Bynes, being the product of child fame that she is, has gone back and forth on the decision to fully commit to an early retirement. She said in 2010 that she was done with acting, only to "unretire" that same year. But by 2012, she identified herself thusly in a tweet: "I'm 26, a multi-millionaire, retired."
Remember when Cher did a massive, yearslong "farewell" tour in the early aughts ... and then never went anywhere? And then kept saying that she really does plan to retire? Yeah, we do too.
For some, Barbra Streisand or Johnny Depp, retirement is just some nebulous idea that may or may not come to pass. But for rapper-turned-preacher-turned-rapper Mase, it was more like a "weird journey," as he told MTV in 2012. The former Bad Boy Records star retired in 1999 because of religious reasons, but by 2004, he dropped a new, appropriately titled album called "Welcome Back."
Garth Brooks simply can't say no to his fans. The country legend initially retired in 2000 only to return in 2009 with "a series of special engagements" in Las Vegas. In case anyone was confused about Brooks' state of employment -- unretired? semiretired? -- Brooks officially confirmed that he's still a working musician when he announced his 2014 world tour.
In case you think this waffling over retirement is just a trend with today's celebrities, we'd like to counter with Frank Sinatra. Ol' Blue Eyes tried to say goodbye in 1971, but within two years was releasing a comeback album.
In the case of the Rolling Stones, we think it's the rumor mill that wants the band to retire more than the members themselves. Every so often, there'll be a questioning whisper of which performance will be their last, but A) they've already said they don't believe in retirement and B) with a band name like the Rolling Stones, what do you think they're going to do?
Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin is also the queen of keeping a career alive. She said in 2007 she was planning on a "semi-retirement" with "semi" being the key word -- by 2011, she released a new album.
With six kids between them, no one would blame Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie if they decided to forget about making movies and live off "Mr & Mrs. Smith" royalties instead. Both stars have hinted that they could be close to retiring, with Pitt even saying in 2011 that he gave himself about three more years. Thankfully, neither of them have followed through with their threats, and are both as busy as ever.
If you catch wind of Anthony Hopkins talking about retirement, you can be pretty sure he's pulling your leg. The rumors have persisted over the years, but the Oscar winner has kept right on working well into his 70s. As he told the Daily Mail in October 2013, "I never slow down because I love to work."
Once upon a time, Leonard Nimoy planned to get out of the acting business for good with J.J. Abrams' 2009 movie, "Star Trek." And then, a few years later, a funny thing happened: Nimoy was not only in the sequel, "Star Trek Into Darkness," but he also squeezed in some voice work in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon."
