NBA YoungBoy is making it clear that he does not plan on returning to the United States anytime soon. The 26-year-old rapper, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, revealed that he has permanently relocated to South Korea and says he has no plans to move back to America.
During an Aug. 11 appearance on Funny Marco’s Open Thoughts podcast, YoungBoy explained that he chose South Korea because it felt like a place where he could live away from the chaos surrounding his life in the U.S. When asked whether he could ever see himself returning home, the rapper gave a blunt response: “Never in life.”
YoungBoy said he appreciates that South Korea is “very safe” and “very clean,” adding that he enjoys the atmosphere and the distance from his former life in America.
His decision is particularly notable because the rapper is the father of 13 children, who remain a major priority for him. When asked how he handles being so far away from his kids, YoungBoy acknowledged that they are the most important thing in his life.
“There’s nothing there for me at all,” he said, before adding that his children are what matters most and that “that’s what they have planes for.”
YoungBoy’s move comes after a dramatic turnaround in his legal situation. He was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison in December 2024 for weapons-related charges and was released in March 2025 after receiving credit for time served. He was later placed under home confinement before receiving a presidential pardon from Donald Trump in May 2025.
Following the pardon, YoungBoy publicly thanked Trump, saying the decision gave him an opportunity to continue building his life “as a man, as a father, and as an artist.”
Now, rather than returning to the U.S. after putting his legal troubles behind him, the rapper appears determined to build a completely different life overseas. For YoungBoy, South Korea isn’t simply a temporary escape — he’s describing it as his new home, and for now, he’s adamant that he “will never” move back to America.
