9 celebrities who left Hollywood behind to work in politics - and 6 who came back

Before he was the leader of the free world, President Trump was the host and judge of "The Apprentice," a reality TV show featuring competitors vying for the chance to run one of his companies.

Besides his run on "The Apprentice," Trump has appeared as himself in various films and TV shows, from "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" to "Sex and the City."

Now that he's left the White House, it remains to be seen what Trump does next — will he run for office? Will he start his own Fox News-esque news channel, as is widely speculated? Will he create his own social media platform?

Jenner, an Olympian and former reality star on "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," announced her intention to run for governor of California on April 23, 2021.

"Taking on entrenched Sacramento politicians and the special interests that fund them requires a fighter who isn't afraid to do what is right. I am a proven winner and the only outsider who can put an end to Gavin Newsom's disastrous time as governor," she wrote in a press release.

For Jenner to actually win, a vote to recall Gavin Newsom, current governor, would have to be passed, and then Jenner would have to get the most votes of any of the challengers.

President Reagan's acting career began in the 1930s and continued until the 1960s — he was even elected president of the Screen Actor's Guild twice. He won the governorship of California in 1967 and held the position until 1975.

Six years later, the former actor was elected 40th president of the United States for two terms, steering the country through the Cold War, an assassination attempt, and the Iran-Contra Affair.

By the time Temple was 12 years old, she had appeared in 43 films. But just 10 years later, she retired from film altogether, drastically changing her career path.

Temple ran for Congress in 1967, but she lost. However, just two years later she was appointed to represent the US at the United Nations. She then became the US ambassador to Ghana in 1974, holding the position until 1976, when she was appointed chief of protocol of the US, a position she held for a year.

She returned to diplomacy in 1989 when she was appointed by President Reagan as the ambassador to Czechoslovakia until 1992.

Al Franken was one of the original writers of the first season of "Saturday Night Live," and he occasionally appeared on camera throughout his time on the show, before leaving in 1995. He went on to become a successful author and continued writing for TV and films.

Franken was elected to the US Senate in 2008, and he served as a senator from Minnesota until 2018, when he resigned among allegations of sexual misconduct. He later said he regretted leaving office before an ethics investigation could be carried out.

Currently, Franken hosts "The Al Franken Podcast."

Duffy appeared on "The Real World: Boston" in 1997 and went on to star in "Road Rules: All Stars" in 1998 (where he met his future wife, Rachel, a cast member of "The Real World: San Francisco") and "Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Seasons" in 2002.

Duffy served as the district attorney of Ashland County, Wisconsin, for eight years before running for the US House of Representatives in 2010. He held the position for nine years until resigning in 2019 due to his newborn son's heart issues. Duffy and his wife are now both contributors on Fox News.

After the popularity of Sonny and Cher died down in the late '70s, Bono pivoted away from music to focus on public service.

He was elected mayor of Palm Springs, California, in 1988 and served until 1992, when he announced his candidacy for the US House of Representatives. He represented the 44th district of California from 1995 until his untimely death in 1998, which was the result of a ski accident.

Ventura, also known as "The Body," was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004 after an 11-year wrestling career.

Before being elected governor, Ventura was the mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, in the '90s. He ran for governor in 1998 as the Reform Party candidate and won, making him the Reform Party's highest-elected official to date, though he left the party after only a year.

He served as governor until 2003, and he is currently hosting a show on RT (Russia Today) called "The World According to Jesse." The 69-year-old also flirted with the idea of running for president in 2020 under the Green Party banner, but he ultimately decided not to.

Johnson was drafted to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1987 and played in the NBA until his retirement in 2000.

He announced his candidacy for mayor of Sacramento, California, in May 2008, and went on to win in a runoff election, becoming the first Black mayor of the city. Johnson was re-elected in 2012, serving until his term ended in 2016. He did not pursue a third term after allegations of sexual misconduct resurfaced.

Nixon's run for governor had been whispered about for a while, but the "Sex and the City" actress made her run against incumbent Governor Cuomo official on Twitter in March 2018. She ended up losing the Democratic primary. If she had won, she would've been the first openly gay person to hold the position.

But Nixon is too talented an actress to let a political loss diminish her career (she's just missing an Oscar to complete her EGOT).

Since losing, she appeared in the 2019 film "Stray Dolls," starred in the Netflix "One Flew Over the Cuckoo" prequel "Ratched,"and is set to star in the "SATC" revival "And Just Like That...," as well as "Downton Abbey" creator Julian Fellowes' new series, "The Gilded Age."

Before he was California's governor, Schwarzenegger was a professional bodybuilder and successful actor, starring in films like "The Terminator," "Conan the Barbarian," and "Kindergarten Cop," "Total Recall," "True Lies," and more.

He served as governor from 2003 until 2011. While he was popular for much of his time as governor, he finished his final term with an almost record-low approval rating of 23%.

Schwarzenegger replaced Trump as the new host of "The Celebrity Apprentice," but he left after just one season. He also returned to his typical action fare, appearing in "The Expendables," "Terminator Genisys," and "Terminator: Dark Fate." Schwarzenegger also voices a superhero on the Prime Video animated series "Superhero Kindergarten."

The "Clueless" actress is a controversial figure — she's been blasted for calling for the end of Black History Month and BET (Black Entertainment Television). She was also a contributor for Fox News until her contract failed to be renewed in 2017.

Dash filed paperwork effectively announcing her intention to run in 2018, representing the 44th congressional district of California. She withdrew soon after.

According to the Daily Mail, "She hopes to rebuild her acting career and dreams of playing a superhero in an action movie."

Dash acted in the controversial conservative movie "Roe v. Wade" as Mildred Johnson, the first Black woman to graduate from Harvard Medical School and a famed anti-abortion activist.

The actor/director was elected mayor of the small California town Carmel-by-the-Sea in 1986, serving one term, and was later appointed to the California State Parks and Recreation Commission in 2001.

Eastwood has stayed politically active since his time as mayor. He's an outspoken supporter of the Republican party, and he is well known for the speech he delivered at the 2012 Republican National Convention in which he spoke to an empty chair, addressing it as Barack Obama.

Of course, Eastwood didn't drop acting or directing to pursue politics. The 90-year-old has a film coming out in October 2021, "Cry Macho," which he also directed.

Aiken was a fan-favorite during his season of "American Idol," and he lost in what many considered to be an upset. After the show, Aiken largely remained out of the spotlight, until he came out in 2008.

In the 2014 midterm elections, Aiken became the Democratic Party's candidate for North Carolina's 2nd congressional district, but he eventually lost in the general election.

In December 2018, Aiken and his "American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard starred in "Ruben & Clay's First Annual Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Christmas Show" on Broadway. He also hosts the "How The Heck Are We Gonna Get Along with Clay Aiken" podcast.

Penn, best known for his role as Kumar in the "Harold & Kumar" movies, was appointed to the White House Office of Public Engagement under President Obama. He served as the assistant director, and as a liaison to the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities for a year, before briefly returning to his acting career.

In 2013, he was appointed to serve on the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, a position he held until 2017. He resigned in response to President Trump's remarks on the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally, and he has once again returned to acting.

He starred in and executive-produced the sitcom "Sunnyside," hosted the Freeform miniseries "Kal Penn Approves This Message," and is currently starring in the "Silence of the Lambs"-inspired show "Clarice."