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‘Homestead’ star Bailey Chase opens up about the “final straw” that led him and his family to leave California for a new life in North Carolina.
During a recent interview with Fox News Digital, the 54-year-old actor, who shares daughter Waverly, 12, and 10-year-old twins Maggie and Gauge with his wife Amy, explained that concerns about the impact of California’s COVID-19 restrictions on his children led him to leave the Golden State behind.
“This happened five years ago, in the middle of the COVID crisis,” Chase said. “My wife and I picked up sticks with our three young children as they made vaccines mandatory.”
“They said they couldn’t go back to school without it,” continued Chase, who plays former Green Beret Jeff Eriksson in “Homestead.” “And that was the final straw. And ever since, we’ve been living in the mountains of North Carolina and living our best lives.”
Bailey Chase revealed that California’s COVID-19 vaccination mandates for schools were the “final straw” that led him and his family to pack up and leave Los Angeles. (FilmMagic)
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Five years after trading Los Angeles for North Carolina, Chase told Fox News Digital that his life now largely revolves around his children’s activities when he’s not working.
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“I’m like a football dad right now. It’s football season, so we’re going here and there,” he said. “My oldest loves ballet, and I couldn’t be more proud of her, and I’m getting ready for ‘The Nutcracker’ in December, and basketball season is right around the corner.”
Although Chase remains committed to his acting career, the “Longmire” alum said his priorities completely change upon returning home.
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“I love my job and when I’m not filming, I’m 100 percent focused on it. But when I’m home, I’m home,” he said. “There’s no better job than being a dad.”
Chase and his family currently live in Amy’s hometown of Hendersonville in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, about 25 miles south of Asheville. Chase previously explained that Amy had long considered moving back to the area where she was born and raised. The actor also has ties to North Carolina after attending Duke University in Durham on a football scholarship.
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“Amy, originally from the mountains of North Carolina, always had it in her mind that she would come home one day,” he said in a January 2026 interview with Duke Alumni Magazine. “We didn’t know how or when.”
However, Chase recalled that they decided the time was right because of California’s handling of the pandemic.
Chase and his family moved to his wife Amy’s hometown in North Carolina. (Getty Images)
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“Things started to go wrong in Los Angeles during COVID — they closed the schools, there were no sports for the kids,” he said. “Really, no life, no work. And it became more and more obvious that we had to leave Los Angeles.”
“Amy is very close to her parents, who live in North Carolina,” he continued. “Everything is about seven minutes away: the school, the in-laws, the grocery store, the golf course, the soccer field. It’s a great location. We live in a house that wouldn’t have been affordable in Los Angeles.”
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“It’s a childhood dream,” he added. “There’s a sports field and a swimming pool. We have two golden retriever puppies, so it’s a full and lively house.”
During a February appearance on “Undaunted.Life: A Man’s Podcast,” Chase explained his concerns about California’s proposed vaccination mandate for his young children’s return to school.
“At that time, you know, they were 4, 4 and 6 years old,” he remembers. “I have two young daughters and you know we don’t need to go down that rabbit hole.”
“I was like, ‘No, I just don’t know enough,’” he continued. “And I have a job right now, and that’s to take care of these little nuggets. It’s the most important job I have right now.”
In October 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced plans to require a COVID-19 vaccine for students, which he said would eventually apply to all of the state’s 6.7 million public and private schoolchildren.
However, the mandate was repeatedly delayed and ultimately never took effect. In February 2023, state health officials announced they would not continue or enforce this requirement as the COVID-19 state of emergency expired at the end of that month.
The “Homestead” star said they were “living our best lives.” (Getty Images)
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Chase previously admitted that while moving to North Carolina was the best decision for his family, leaving Los Angeles came with a professional cost after spending 21 years building his career in Hollywood.
“I lost work by not being in Los Angeles,” he admitted during his appearance on the “Living Local” podcast in August.
“There was a big role in ‘Grey’s Anatomy,'” he continued. “And I get it, it’s a lot cheaper for them. They just move on to the next guy and pick someone who’s local to Los Angeles.”
“But what happened was I got new opportunities, different types of jobs and religious movies and shows,” Chase added.
The “Saving Grace” actor also spoke openly about how he “lost touch” with God during his years in Los Angeles and shared that his move to North Carolina ultimately brought him back to his Christian faith.
“Coming back here, I was reconnected to my faith,” Chase told “Crosswalk” in January. “I just started going to church recently. It took a few years, but I really like the church we go to here.”
“My cousin started taking us,” he continued. “The girls are in youth group. They love it.”
“It’s nice to be in an environment where I can talk openly about God and Jesus and without fear of criticism,” he added.
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In an Instagram post from 2024, Chase reflected on how his priorities have changed since leaving behind “all that worry, all that stress, 20 years of hustle in LA.”
“It also made me think if I spent as much time chasing God as I have spent chasing success over the last 25 years, what would that look like?” he wrote.
Jesse Hutch, Kearran Giovanni, Georgie White, Emmanuel McCord, Colby Strong, Bailey Chase, Neal McDonough, Dawn Olivieri, Olivia Sanabia, Tyler Lofton and Kevin Lawson attend the premiere of “Homestead” on December 10, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Angel Studios)
Chase currently stars as former Green Beret Jeff Eriksson in faith-based streaming platform Angel Studios’ post-apocalyptic drama “Homestead,” premiering season Nov. 3.
The series follows survivors living in a fortified compound in the Rocky Mountains, known as The Homestead, after a nuclear attack on Los Angeles plunges the country into chaos. After the bomb explodes, Jeff escapes with his family to The Homestead, where he serves as head of security.
The actor starred in the 2024 film “Homestead,” which features the story and the TV series picks up right after. The cast also includes Neal McDonough, Kevin Lawson, Emmanuel McCord, Jesse Hutch, Betzaida Landín, Charles Esten and Dawn Olivieri.
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Chase told Fox News Digital that his role in the “Homestead” movie and follow-up TV show inspired the actors to start preparing for a potential apocalypse.
Chase currently stars as former Green Beret Jeff Eriksson on the series. (Angel Studios)
“‘Homestead’ changed all of our lives and the first thing I did when I got home after the movie was arm my house more,” he said. “And then right before the second season, Hurricane Helene hit here in the mountains of North Carolina. And now I have a brand new generator and a few other things.”
When asked if most Americans would be able to survive a major disaster, Chase predicted it would be harder for people living in big cities.
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“They’re overcrowded and there aren’t enough resources,” he said. “So for those who live a little further into the country, their chances are much higher.”
Chase also starred in the 2024 film “Homestead.” (Angel Studios)
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“They’re the kind of people who hunt and fish and can go out and find their own game,” Chase added. “So if I bet, I bet on these guys.”
While reflecting on what drew him to “Homestead,” Chase explained that its focus on faith and family also influenced the projects he chooses, noting that the series offers a different message than much of what comes out of Hollywood.
“I consider my job as a father to be the best job and the most important job I will ever have. And I take it seriously,” Chase told Fox News Digital.
“And how that translates to me being an actor is why I’m so proud of ‘Homestead’ and the story that we’re telling, because it reflects my own personal values,” he continued. “We have men and women, boys and girls, and it’s about promoting faith, family, community and being there for your brother.”
“Not every show that Hollywood puts out does that, so I feel really lucky to be part of a show that delivers a message that I believe in so deeply.”
The second season of “Homestead: The Series” premieres November 3 on Angel with new episodes airing weekly on Tuesdays.
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