EXCLUSIVE: Leonardo DiCaprio Canceled Fear — How Woke Mob Has Led to 'Titanic' Star 'Sinking Himself into Howard Hughes-Style Existence Between Movie Shoots'
Leonardo DiCaprio seems to run from the spotlight when he's not working on projects.
Dec. 11 2025, Published 7:50 p.m. ET
Leonardo DiCaprio shuts himself away in between filming as he fears his partying lifestyle could get him cancelled, sources told RadarOnline.com.
The movie star is said to have embraced a near-monastic, Howard Hughes-style routine between film shoots, retreating from public life in what insiders tell us is an attempt to "live like a hermit" while he resets from the pressures of global fame.
DiCaprio has pulled back from public life between shoots to avoid controversy.
A source has now told us about the 51-year-old actor – famed for his late-night parties, yacht holidays and love of models in their 20s – the real motivation for his new spotlight-dodging is he fears landing in trouble.
One claimed: "Leo is settled now with his girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti, but he still loves partying with pals. He hasn't been doing anything wrong, but he now has a genuine fear of people filming him and saying something off-color that could be interpreted the wrong way."
DiCaprio 'Hates Cancel Culture'
DiCaprio has settled down more with his girlfriend, Vittoria Ceretti.
"He hates cancel culture and what it has done to some of his colleagues, and he is now doing everything he can to reduce any risk of him being caught in a trap, like being secretly filmed at a party sharing what some may see as controversial views or stories that don't fit with 'woke' culture," the insider claimed.
"It's the type of sad impact cancel culture is having, but it is one he is having to accept out of quite justifiable paranoia that comes with his status and level of fame. He feels he has to literally sink himself into reclusiveness.
"He is also far too valuable to the box office to be cancelled, so it's as much about his career and business as it is about maintaining his personal brand and avoiding scandal."
Friends claimed the actor disappears after promo tours to reset in private.
DiCaprio has broken his "26 rule", a popular Internet theory and running joke that the actor only dates women under the age of 25 – with model Ceretti, as she is now 27, and sources say he is now "much more settled" with her.
DiCaprio – who has worked consistently in Hollywood since his teens and played reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes in 2004 biopic The Aviator – has long wrestled with how to balance his public persona with a fiercely guarded private life.
His new reclusive approach, according to industry sources, comes as he is reflecting on decades of scrutiny and constant speculation surrounding his relationships, whereabouts, and creative decisions.
'I Just Disappear'
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The Oscar winner recalls how 'Titanic's frenzy made him step away from the spotlight.'
Sources say DiCaprio's withdrawal now typically begins the moment a promotional tour ends, when he disappears from events, declines invitations, and confines himself to a small circle of trusted friends at his home in Los Angeles.
Speaking to TIME Magazine after being named the mag's Entertainer of the Year, DiCaprio admitted about life in the spotlight: "It's been a balance I've been managing my whole adult life, and I'm still not an expert. I think my simple philosophy is only get out there and do something when you have something to say, or you have something to show for it. Otherwise, just disappear as much as you possibly can."
A source said DiCaprio's instinct now is to pull back "further than ever" from public life.
He added, "Leo has realized he functions best when he steps away completely. He wants quiet, he wants stillness, and he's not pretending otherwise."
The actor's instinct to vanish dates back to the global frenzy unleashed by his role in Titanic in 1997.
DiCaprio recalled about the frenzy: "I was like, OK, how do I have a long career? Because I love what I do, and feel like the best way to have a long career is to get out of people's face."
