Famous Celebrities Who Shockingly Never Learned To Drive
Tina Fey
Tina Fey surprised fans in 2014 when she revealed on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee that she doesn’t have a driver’s license. For the actress and writer, life has never really required it; her focus has always been on her work, her family, and the projects she’s passionate about. Married to composer Jeff Richmond and balancing one of the busiest careers in comedy, Fey shows that sometimes skipping the everyday routine of driving leaves more space for the things that really matter.
Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera once admitted that the thought of driving in Los Angeles makes her nervous. Speaking to Jimmy Kimmel in 2011, she explained that the constant traffic, and the swarm of paparazzi, keeps her away from the driver’s seat. Instead, the Grammy winner has always preferred being driven, whether during her marriage to Jordan Bratman or alongside her longtime partner Matthew Rutler.
Ed Sheeran
For years, Ed Sheeran relied on friends and chauffeurs to get him around because he simply couldn’t drive. In 2014, he admitted to Us Weekly that he had never learned, which fans found surprising given his hectic touring schedule. A year later, though, Sheeran finally decided to change that. At 24, he passed his driving test and shared the news on Twitter with a playful “zoom zoom zoom.”
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand’s relationship with driving ended long before her relationship with James Brolin began. The star confessed that after failing her written test multiple times and accidentally heading up the wrong side of a freeway ramp, she knew driving wasn’t for her. These days, she leaves the wheel to others, focusing instead on her music, her home life with Brolin, and the projects that matter most.
Kate Beckinsale
Kate Beckinsale has never been shy about her lack of driving skills. While filming The Face of an Angel in 2013, producers asked her to take the wheel, but she declined instantly. In an interview, she admitted that the thought of learning to drive, especially in Rome, felt dangerous. Over the years, she has joked about relying heavily on ridesharing apps and friends to get her places.
Vincent Kartheiser
Unlike many stars, Vincent Kartheiser doesn’t avoid driving because of fear, he just doesn’t see the need. During his Mad Men years, he often took public transportation to the set instead of using a car. For him, buses and trains offered more time to read scripts, reflect, and watch people.
Bella Thorne
Bella Thorne has been open about her fear of driving. In 2015, she admitted that being behind the wheel made her anxious, a feeling she has carried ever since. By 2022, the actress and singer told fans she still doesn’t drive, calling it one of her quirks in a “25 Things You Don’t Know About Me” feature. Thorne’s career has been fast-paced, from her Disney Channel roots to her music and directing ventures, but her life off-screen runs at a different rhythm.
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais has built an entire career on sharp takes and dry humor, but one thing he’s never mastered is driving. In 2015, after fans speculated he might be tapped to host Top Gear, Gervais cut the idea short with a blunt admission: he doesn’t even have a license. Known for long-term partner Jane Fallon and his outspoken views on nearly everything, Gervais has never been one to conform to expectations.
Cardi B
Cardi B’s garage looks like a luxury car showroom; Lamborghinis, Bentleys, a Maybach, even a Suburban. But she doesn’t drive a single one of them. In 2018, during Carpool Karaoke, she admitted the fleet is purely for show. “To take pictures with it,” she told James Corden.
Lena Dunham
Lena Dunham summed it up herself in a tweet back in 2014: “I can’t drive and as I’ve aged it’s gone from cute to pathetic to intriguing to tragic.” The Girls creator has never been shy about admitting her quirks, and this one has followed her into adulthood. Driving, however, is one such milestone she’s never claimed, and she wears it as part of her unapologetically honest persona.
Teddi Mellencamp
Teddi Mellencamp may be the daughter of rock legend John Mellencamp and a familiar face from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but even she struggles with something as ordinary as driving. In 2020, she admitted on Instagram that she can only manage routes she’s repeated countless times. Anything new sparks her driving anxiety.
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez hadn’t driven in 25 years when her fiancé Alex Rodriguez surprised her with a brand-new Porsche for her 50th birthday. The gift was captured on video as J.Lo nervously slid into the seat, joking about needing a “double seatbelt.” While the superstar has conquered music, movies, and multiple business ventures, driving was one thing she had left behind.
J.K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling has admitted that driving isn’t part of her skill set, and she’s perfectly fine with that. In a 2017 Twitter exchange, the Harry Potter author revealed she has never driven a car or even used a parking meter. When asked why, she joked about lacking spatial awareness and struggling with machinery, suggesting it’s safer for everyone if she avoids it altogether.
Lorde
Lorde has sung about Cadillacs and city lights, but she once confirmed to fans that she doesn’t actually drive. A Twitter user noticed her lyrics often referenced buses and trains, prompting the singer to reply, “You’re right! But I’m working on it, I have the book.” For the New Zealand star, public transportation has always been a part of her life.
Carey Mulligan
Carey Mulligan’s relationship with driving has been anything but smooth. While promoting her film Never Let Me Go, she admitted that she failed her driving test five times in the UK. For a short while in the U.S., she managed to drive legally, but when she returned home, the chance was gone. Mulligan later told Jimmy Kimmel in 2017 that the whole experience felt traumatic.
Tyler Henry
Tyler Henry, best known as the star of Hollywood Medium, has never felt the need to get a license. Growing up in a small town, he simply didn’t need to learn, and by the time fame arrived, the habit had stuck. Henry now relies on his mom or his manager’s assistant to get him to celebrity readings and red-carpet appearances.
Zayn Malik
Zayn Malik may have traveled the world with One Direction, but he never mastered the art of driving. During a 2013 radio interview, he admitted he hadn’t even started lessons yet. At the time, his then-fiancée Perrie Edwards teased that she couldn’t wait for him to finally learn so he could chauffeur her around. Years later, Malik still hasn’t made headlines for passing a test.
Barbara Walters
Barbara Walters built a career as one of the most respected journalists of all time, but she never bothered with a driver’s license. In a 2008 interview, Walters brushed off the topic, saying simply, “Don’t try to analyze me. It’s just how it is.” For her, the streets of New York City offered little reason to get behind the wheel, especially with chauffeurs and cabs always at the ready.
A$AP Rocky
Despite owning several flashy cars, A$AP Rocky doesn’t actually drive them. In a past interview with Complex, he admitted that the appeal of cars is more about style than function for him. The rapper, known for his music and fashion influence, has been linked to high-profile romances, including Rihanna, with whom he now shares a family.
Javier Bardem
Javier Bardem has taken on intense roles throughout his career, but one real-life challenge he’s never embraced is driving. The Spanish actor has admitted that cars scare him more than planes, which is why he’s never gotten a license. For film work, he has had to learn enough to fake it on screen, though he described the process as stressful and uncomfortable.
Gloria Steinem
Gloria Steinem’s impact on journalism and activism is undeniable, but driving never fit into her life. She once explained that she simply kept putting off getting a license, and before long, she realized she didn’t need one at all. Living in New York City, public transportation and taxis made driving unnecessary, and she stuck with that choice for decades.
